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Akbar Novruz

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An informal meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States will be held in Antalya, AzerNEWS reports.

The meeting will take place within the framework of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, scheduled for April 17–19.

The forum will bring together high-level officials and diplomats to discuss key global and regional issues. This year’s theme is “Fighting Uncertainties While Shaping the Future.”

The gathering is expected to provide an additional platform for coordination among OTS member states on political, economic, and regional cooperation agendas.

Background

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is a regional intergovernmental body that brings together Turkic-speaking countries to promote political, economic, and cultural cooperation. Its current members are Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, with Hungary and Turkmenistan participating as observers.

The organization traces its origins to the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, established in 2009 through the Nakhchivan Agreement. It was rebranded as the OTS in 2021 to reflect broader ambitions beyond cultural ties, expanding into strategic coordination and regional integration.

The OTS aims to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of areas, including trade, transport, energy, education, and digital transformation. A key focus is enhancing connectivity across Eurasia, particularly through initiatives such as the Trans-Caspian “Middle Corridor,” which links Central Asia to Europe via the South Caucasus and Turkiye.

Institutionally, the OTS operates through regular summits of heads of state, a secretariat based in Istanbul, and affiliated bodies such as the Turkic Investment Fund and the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry. These mechanisms are designed to translate political alignment into practical economic cooperation.

In recent years, the organization has gained geopolitical relevance as member states seek greater coordination in response to shifting global dynamics. While not a military alliance, the OTS increasingly serves as a platform for aligning regional policies, boosting intra-regional trade, and promoting a shared Turkic identity within a pragmatic framework of economic and strategic interests.