Organization of Turkic States can catalyze economic development and stabilization across a broad region, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, international expert Matthew Bryza told Report.
At its Summit meeting on 12 November 2021 in Istanbul, the Turkic Council renamed itself the Organization of Turkic States.
"I believe this reflects a new and more intensive stage of cooperation among its member states and observers, which can catalyze economic development and stabilization across a broad region stretching from the Mediterranean and Black Seas to the Caspian Sea and beyond," the expert said.
He said he was pleased that Turkmenistan was admitted to the Organization of Turkic States as an observer: "I anticipate this move will further strengthen regional cooperation. Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are already working together as key players in the logistics sector, ensuring the reliable movement of goods from Europe to Central Asia and beyond, and vice versa."
Bryza added that these opportunities have increased in the wake of the Second Karabakh War, with the security of the region now more stable and predictable. "The November 10, 2020, statement that ended the war cleared the way for new opportunities for economic growth with its final provision declaring that “all transportation links in the region are reopened”. As a result, Zangezur Corridor project establishes new cargo transit routes via road and eventually rail, as well potential energy transport via a future natural gas pipeline. These sorts of new transit links will be key to stimulating new investments that will create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and generate wealth and regional economic cooperation throughout the Greater Caspian region, which will also help strengthen and sustain peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia," he said.
The expert noted that last week’s summit in Istanbul also underscored that cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan has reached unprecedented heights. "This was reflected in the warm words of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his presentation of the Highest Order of Turkic World to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev when he welcomed Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh war as having established a sense of justice by implementing four UN Security Council from 1993 demanding Armenia’s immediate withdrawal from the territories of Azerbaijan that it had been illegally occupying for nearly 30 years. It is therefore of both symbolic and strategic importance that Azerbaijan turned over leadership of the Organization of Turkic States to Turkey during the Istanbul Summit. With NATO’s second largest military, a huge and diversified industrial base, and over 80 million consumers, Turkey is indeed a key player within the Organization of Turkic States and throughout the Greater Caspian region."