Political

The Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held in Gabala today and tomorrow marks the beginning of a new stage in the development of solidarity, integration, and strategic cooperation in the Turkic world, Advisor to the Academy of Public Administration under the President, Chairman of the Baku Political Scientists Club - Zaur Mammadov told APA.

According to him, such summits that have taken place in recent years are no longer just diplomatic events, but have also become a bright indicator of the political, economic, and cultural revival of the Turkic civilization in the 21st century: “The Gabala Summit serves to further deepen this revival and strengthen the message of unity of the Turkic peoples on a global scale. The choice of Gabala as the host is not accidental: Azerbaijan’s historical, cultural, and geopolitical location at the center of the Turkic world has made this city a symbolic place. The summit reflects the historical depth, strategic importance, and new challenges for the future of the unity of the Turkic peoples. Recently, geopolitical contradictions in the geographies surrounding the Turkic world have become even more pronounced. The relentless struggle waged by individual political and military actors against each other in the world, the attempts of individual states to limit the sovereignty and independence of other states, pose an important question for nation-states. How to protect national sovereignty and be able to conduct a free policy before international structures and institutions. What distinguishes the Organization of the Turkic States from many other organizations is that member countries treat each other on the basis of equality, mutual respect, and shared interests.”

New realities in the Turkic world

The political scientist noted that over the past 5 years, the Organization of the Turkic States platform has acted as an important platform for the realization of the national interests of all member states.

“Undoubtedly, the person standing at the forefront of this integration process is Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. As a result, today the Turkic world is moving towards real integration not only in the humanitarian sphere and culturally, but also in political, economic and military terms. After the 44-day war, the decisions adopted, documents signed and statements made between the Turkic states with the special participation of Azerbaijan demonstrate the will of the Turkic states towards a coordinated foreign policy, a single economic space and a joint defense concept. However, not only cooperation, but even thinking about defense and security was impossible until 2020. Among the recent achievements, we can mention the formation of the Turkic countries as a single economic artery in the Eurasian space with the opening of the Middle Corridor and Zangezur corridors, and the idea of ​​​​creating the Turkish Defense Alliance as a joint security mechanism. It is worth emphasizing the role of the Turkish Academy and the Turkish Cultural Foundation as a single platform in the field of science, education and culture, and the energy bridge between the Caspian region and Central Asia in digital transformation and energy cooperation,” Z. Mammadov added.

Political unity

The political scientist emphasized that President Ilham Aliyev acts as a system-building leader in the ideological and institutional formation of Turkic unity: “With his initiative, cooperation between Turkic states has gone beyond the framework of mere 'cultural brotherhood' and has become a practical political and economic synthesis. The President of Azerbaijan has always emphasized the importance of Turkic states speaking from a unified position in the international arena. In this regard, the solidarity of Turkic countries with Azerbaijan in the post-Karabakh war period has formed a new model of Turkish diplomacy: “one nation - many states, but a single strategic line.”

Military and transport integration

“The concept of 'One nation, two states' between Türkiye and Azerbaijan is already turning into an idea of ​​collective security in the OTS space. The creation of real mechanisms in this direction is expanding - joint exercises, defense industry cooperation, and exchange of military technology. The idea of ​​the Zangezur corridor, initiated by Azerbaijan, is considered a strategic project that ensures the connection of Turkish geography to the Eurasian economic system. This corridor will connect the Turkic States with a new logistics line between Europe and Asia and turn the OTS into a center of global trade,” he said.

The awakening of Turkish civilization.

According to the political scientist, President Ilham Aliyev presents Turkish unity not only as a political project, but also as a civilizational model: “The idea that ‘the future of the Turkic world lies in our unity’, which he often voiced in his speeches, has already become a strategic philosophy. Azerbaijan is an example of preserving the balance between multiculturalism and national identity, showing the synthesis of Turkicness, Islamic culture, and the modern statehood model. As a result, it should be unequivocally noted today that never before in Turkish history have the Turkic peoples come together on such a unified strategic platform, in such a united and strong manner. With the participation and significant contributions of Azerbaijan, the above-mentioned constitute the pinnacle of this process. Today, President Ilham Aliyev acts not only as a head of state defending the national interests of Azerbaijan, but also as a leader contributing to the strategic unity, political and cultural integration of the entire Turkic world. As a result of his initiatives, the Organization of Turkic States has become a more effective platform at the global level, and the idea of ​​Turkic unity has gained real political and economic content. Ilham Aliyev’s activity contributes to the reformation of Turkic civilization in the 21st century and to the strengthening of its international reputation, and this activity will remain in history as a leadership mission that laid the foundation for a new stage of the Turkic world."

A strategic step towards a common future for the Turkic world

The political scientist, who noted that the meetings of the Organization of Turkic States held in Azerbaijan, including the Gabala meeting, are a sign that the Turkic peoples will form a single economic space, a strong military system and a deep cultural synthesis in the coming decades, added that this summit, in fact, presents a strategic map of the direction in which the Turkic world will develop in the coming years.

“The issues to be discussed in Gabala over the course of two days, the documents to be adopted, and the speeches of the leaders based on mutual trust show that the Turkic states are now determined to have not only a common past, but also a common future. This is not only regional cooperation, but also the birth of a new Turkic civilization that is being formed as a global power center. Azerbaijan stands at the political, ideological, and geographical center of this process.

It can be safely emphasized that the Organization of Turkic States has the potential to become one of the main regional power centers that can play an important role in the stability and security of Greater Eurasia in the future. The member states of the organization are considered the strategic pillars of Eurasia due to their geopolitical positions, energy resources, transport and communication capabilities, and cultural affinities. If the integration process in this direction deepens in a sustainable and purposeful manner, the OTS can represent not only the unity of the Turkic peoples, but also a guarantor of stability, energy security, and inter-civilizational cooperation in Eurasia,” he said.

The Nakhchivan Treaty transformed the OTS from a political platform into an international powerhouse

Political scientist Zaur Mammadov notes that the formation and current activities of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) represent a strategic stage in the integration process of the Turkic world.

According to him, the organization was founded by Türkiye, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and the admission of Uzbekistan to membership in 2019 further strengthened the organization's regional and international prestige: "The goals set by the Nakhchivan Treaty show that the OTS is not only a political platform, but also an important mechanism for maintaining peace, strengthening security and trust, as well as deep cooperation in the economic, cultural, scientific, technical and humanitarian spheres. According to the Treaty, the organization aims to strengthen mutual trust and friendship between member states, promote and jointly promote the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Turkic peoples. The institutional structure of the OTS also serves these goals. The Council of Heads of State, the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Committee of High-ranking Officials, the Council of Elders and the Secretariat constitute the main bodies of the organization. In addition, to deepen interparliamentary cooperation, the TÜRKPA, established in 2008 based on the Istanbul Agreement, as well as TURKSOY, the Turkic Academy, and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, play an important role in the formation of a common scientific, cultural and educational space of the world.”

Zaur Mammadov emphasizes that the Council of Heads of State is the supreme decision-making body of the OTS, and the organization’s future priorities, attitude to international processes and directions of cooperation are determined at the Summits held once a year: “In this regard, the 12th Summit to be held in Gabala is of particular importance. At the end of the Summit, the chairmanship of the Organization will pass from Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan, which will give impetus to further strengthening Azerbaijan’s leadership role in the Turkic world. According to the Nakhchivan Treaty, there are also observer and partner statuses in the OTS. In 2021, Turkmenistan received observer status, in 2022, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus received observer status, and in 2023, the Economic Cooperation Organization was accepted as an observer in the OTS. This is an indication that the organization has moved beyond the regional framework and turned into an international political and economic platform.”

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