By Svante E. Cornell
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program
Silk Road Paper
December 2025
Click Here to Download The Rise of the Organization of Turkic States
Executive Summary:
In October 2025, the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) convened a pivotal summit in Gabala, Azerbaijan, demonstrating its emergence as a significant geopolitical entity on the Eurasian landscape. During the summit, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev emphasized the OTS's evolution into a key geopolitical center, while Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev referred to it as an authoritative structure uniting Turkic populations. This gathering marks a critical juncture in the organization’s development, solidifying its influence in a region that links the Mediterranean to Central Asia.
The Gabala summit showcased the OTS's commitment to enhancing collaboration on various fronts, including security, defense, economic development, transportation, digitalization, and sustainable energy. A notable development was the introduction of the "OTS plus" framework, which aims to strengthen partnerships with non-Turkic states in the vicinity. This evolution reflects a remarkable transformation for Turkic cooperation, escalating from modest aspirations to a robust international organization in a remarkably short period.
The emergence and rapid development of the OTS challenge conventional frameworks employed by Western bureaucracies to assess the geopolitics of the region. Typically categorized into rigid geographic divisions, bureaucracies covering the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia often overlook the intricate relationships across these boundaries. Turkic cooperation ignores these geographic categorizations, as it not only resides within the context of former Soviet republics but also includes Turkey—a pivotal player straddling both Europe and the Middle East.
A key element of Turkic Cooperation is the relatively equal standing of its members. While Türkiye is obviously considerably larger than the other members, it is telling that the main drivers of Turkic cooperation for many years were Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan; and that Turkic cooperation really took off following Uzbekistan’s renewed enthusiasm for the initiative. In other words, the perception of the OTS as somehow beholden to Turkish President Erdogan is a red herring.
The ethnolinguistic character of Turkic cooperation has led many observers to remain skeptical, as it has led to the exclusion of non-Turkic states. Yet on a practical level, the OTS has displayed an openness to cooperate with countries like Georgia; more recently, the inclusion of an “OTS plus” format could create conditions for a more inclusive approach to regional states that are not majority Turkic.
Given the current geopolitical climate, the rise of the OTS is poised to reshape power dynamics across a broad expanse of territory, prompting a reevaluation of strategic frameworks by Western governments and multilateral organizations. Understanding the implications of the OTS's evolution will be crucial for policymakers and stakeholders engaged in the region and beyond.
