OTS Summit Advances Turkic Autonomy and Multi-Vector Foreign Policy

Executive Summary:

• The October 7 Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) emphasized the organization’s growing role, introducing the OTS+ format to deepen multi-vector foreign policy and advance major initiatives.
• Leaders discussed enhancing regional security through proposals such as a joint OTS military exercise in 2026, greater defense collaboration, monitoring threats from Afghanistan, and coordination with North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners.
• The OTS is promoting Turkic cultural revival and economic integration, aiming to strengthen shared identity, expand trade and energy routes, and position member states as a central alternative to Russian energy supplies and east–west trade routes.

The 12th Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Gabala, Azerbaijan, on October 7, with the theme “Regional Peace and Security” (Aze.Media, October 8). On October 3, 2009, the Nakhchivan Agreement founded the organization, which adopted its current name after its eighth Summit of Heads of State in 2021. October 7 was Azerbaijan’s third time officially hosting the OTS summit since 2009. The leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan—with Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) (a self-declared state recognized only by  Türkiye) represented as observer states—discussed topics including politics, foreign policy, security, economy, and energy.

The summit was held after Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a joint declaration of intention to pursue peace at the White House on August 8 (BBC, August 8; see EDM, August 12; see Strategic Snapshot, August 13). The OTS summit is becoming more critical, considering developments such as U.S.–People’s Republic of China (PRC) tensions, Russia’s weakened influence following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s expressed desire to get Bagram Base in Afghanistan back.

Following the Gabala summit, the OTS issued a final communiqué comprising 121 articles (OTS, September 10). These resolutions are organized under the headings “Cooperation in Political, Foreign Policy, and Security Issues,” “Economic and Sectoral Cooperation,” “People-to-People Cooperation,” “Institutional Cooperation in the Turkic World,” “Cooperation with External Parties,” and “Organizational Issues.”

The first significant decision made at the summit is the establishment of an OTS+ format (Daily Sabah, October 9). This format will allow OTS to develop collaborations with external partners in areas of interest, meaning that OTS could facilitate projects such as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) (previously known as the Zangezur Corridor inside of Azerbaijan) that connect the Turkic world to the West (see EDM, July 30, October 15). The OTS established this collaborative format following Trump’s plan to increase sanctions against Russia and impose additional tariffs on the PRC, which aids in the OTS’s ability to establish new international ties (see EDM, September 10; TruthSocial/@realDonaldTrump, September 13). The TRIPP’s operationalization will further strengthen the OTS’s access to the West and increase the importance of member countries in global energy supply and transportation security (see EDM, September 24).

OTS member states’ participation in the Middle Corridor and TRIPP is not without risk. These routes provide an alternative energy route to Russia, which would weaken Russian influence in the former Soviet Union countries along the corridor, potentially leading Russia to seek to undermine these states’ ability to conduct multi-vector trade and diplomacy (see Strategic Snapshot, August 24).

The TRIPP and Middle Corridor, which will extend westward through the member countries of the OTS, offers the West a significant opportunity to reduce historical Russian influence in the region, limit the PRC’s expanding presence, and stop Iran from spreading its sway in the area (The Diplomat, October 10). The OTS creates a new geopolitical axis in the region, increasing the member states’ ability to conduct multi-vector diplomacy through their coordinated efforts independent of major powers.

The PRC is likely to increase its investments in Central Asia over the coming years, using the region as a channel for export to global markets (see EDM, June 9, July 9, September 24, October 8; see China Brief, October 17). While these investments might benefit OTS member states economically, growing PRC influence there could lead to tensions with the United States. Regardless, connecting the Turkic world to the West through the TRIPP geopolitical advantages for the OTS.

During the summit, OTS leaders asserted that the strength of the organizations would deter foreign powers from invading the region. The OTS seeks to bolster its autonomy and avoid over-reliance on either the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the PRC–Russia axis (The Diplomat, October 24, 2024). A Turkic world cut off from the West could not build the necessary economic and technological momentum, and the former Soviet states seek to maintain their full economic and diplomatic independence from Russia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s comment that the OTS should not be a self-enclosed organization, along with the establishment of the collaborative OTS+ format, is evidence that member states are pursuing autonomy through balancing their relationships with Russia, the PRC, and the United States (Anadolu Ajansı, October 8). Given that Russia is the region’s traditional hegemon, the OTS is pursuing increased engagement with the United States to ensure this balance.

The OTS is also focused on cultural maintenance to offset the oppression of Turkic cultures under the Soviet Union. The Soviets suppressed regional cultures, damaging the religious and ethnic identities of the Turkic peoples within their borders for decades. The OTS is implementing various programs, including promoting cultural organizations, to strengthen Turkic culture and identity among its Central Asian members (Armenian Weekly, December 31, 2024).

At the summit, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev proposed a joint OTS military exercise in 2026, which could boost security cooperation within the organization (Anadolu Ajansı, October 7). Türkiye’s NATO membership and other members’ participation in NATO’s Partnership for Peace program could enable the OTS to build substantial military capacity in the coming years. Enhancing the OTS’s military capabilities could speed up its long-term development as an organization capable of joint action with the West. The United States lifting the decades-old military embargo against Azerbaijan after the August agreement between Yerevan and Baku is also a key advancement for the OTS (APA, August 9). Cooperation in security among the OTS countries continues to grow, as defense industry leaders and presidents of member and observer countries met in Türkiye in July to discuss at the 17th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) (Special Eurasia, July 31). At the Gabala Summit, OTS members decided to hold the next IDEF meeting in Azerbaijan in 2026 (Report.az, October 8).

The OTS “Regional Peace and Security” summit emphasized that Afghanistan’s stability is of utmost importance to OTS member countries. Any new conflict or instability originating in Afghanistan within the region would inevitably have a detrimental effect on OTS’s development and its ability to attract foreign investment (OTS, October 7).

The OTS facilitates collaboration, autonomy, and multi-vector foreign policy for Turkic countries, separate from reliance on global powers. Russia’s aggressive foreign policies, instability in Afghanistan, and Iran’s discomfort with the TRIPP are all major obstacles to the organization’s sustainability (see EDM, September 11). The OTS currently has significant potential in trade and energy, especially as an alternative to Russia, and will need to develop its economic power and military capabilities to become a larger player on the global stage.