OTS Secretary General: Azerbaijan holds great importance for dev't of Turkic world

OTS Secretary General: Azerbaijan holds great importance for dev't of Turkic world The Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Kubanychbek Omuraliev, gave an interview to Report during the informal Summit held on May 20-21 in Budapest, Hungary.
Foreign policy
May 21, 2025 13:59
OTS Secretary General: Azerbaijan holds great importance for dev't of Turkic world

The Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Kubanychbek Omuraliev, gave an interview to Report during the informal Summit held on May 20-21 in Budapest, Hungary.

Omuraliev spoke about the priorities determined by the OTS for the next period, customs simplification, increasing trade turnover, transport corridors, strengthening military cooperation, Azerbaijan's role in the OTS, and other issues.

- Dear Secretary General, in recent years, the international prestige and functional role of the OTS have increased significantly. In which main directions is the organization's scope of activity expanding, and what key priorities have been identified for the near future?

- Within the 15 years the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has rapidly evolved into a dynamic and purpose-driven regional structure. In a short span of time, we have transitioned from a consultative platform to a results-oriented organization working across more than 35 sectors — including trade, energy, transport, education, culture, innovation, digitalization, health, environment, and even space exploration.

Our strategy is guided by the long-term vision outlined in the "Turkic World Vision 2040" and the OTS Strategy 2022–2026, with an overarching aim to strengthen institutional capacity, intra-regional connectivity, and the global influence of the Turkic world.

Strategic infrastructure development remains a priority, with key projects such as the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) and the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway contributing to greater regional connectivity.

In the field of security and disaster response, we have established the Civil Protection Mechanism and are enhancing joint efforts in border management and cybersecurity cooperation.

On economic issues, I would like to pay your attention to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), which was signed last year, will lay the groundwork for greater trust and efficiency in digital transactions, facilitating the growth of e-commerce and digital financial services across our region.

Additionally, the Turkic Green Finance Council reflects our commitment to developing capital markets that support the transition to a green and sustainable economy.

In addition to the above-mentioned economic mechanisms within OTS, the creation of the Council of Central Banks is both timely and strategic.

Furthermore, the Turkic Investment Fund (TIF), launched with a $600 million capital, will begin financing strategic projects, especially in SMEs, logistics, ICT, and green industry.

Another major development is the Trade Facilitation Committee (TFC), which works to streamline trade processes, remove barriers, and improve the overall business environment in the region.

- What steps are planned to expand economic cooperation and increase trade turnover within the Turkic world?

- The OTS has always striven to increase efficiency and reduce barriers while staying vigilant on harmonized customs procedures on the movement of goods and services. In this respect, “Simplified Customs Corridor of the OTS” between the Member States was established to ensure an efficient transportation of products. This, without doubt, will pave the way for the fostering of e-commerce and diversifying supply chains by adding a competitive edge within the scope of both the Middle Corridor and Zangazur Corridor.

The OTS is committed to enhancing transport connectivity along the Middle Corridor. Several initiatives such as the “E-TIR”, “E-Permit” and “E-CMR” aim to eliminate barriers to efficient and seamless transport, while establishing new frameworks to streamline operations across various road, rail, and sea. Towards that end, the OTS is driving transport cooperation through various mechanisms – such as regular Ministerial Meetings, Transport Coordination Committees, Working Group on Transport Development and Sub-Working Group on Digitalization.

The Turkic region, home to 175 million people and spanning 4.5 million square kilometers, is endowed with immense economic potential. In 2024, our combined GDP surpassed $2.1 trillion, and our trade turnover reached $1.1 trillion. In this vein, we intend to finalize a free trade agreement in services and investments, which will boost trade and investment across our countries.

While the potential for expanding trade in our region is enormous—given its strategic position at the crossroads of East and West, North and South—there are still hurdles to overcome. Currently, OTS member states rank 12th globally in total GDP, with a combined external trade volume of $850 billion. However, intra-OTS trade currently accounts for only 7 % of that, or about $57 billion. A few years ago, this was only 3%, so we’re seeing encouraging growth. Our goal now is to increase this share to 10% as quickly as possible.

- What steps are needed currently to achieve this goal?

- To achieve this, we need to address key barriers, particularly in transportation and logistics. Active work is being done in this direction, with long-term projects being implemented by the UN and the International Road Transport Union.

Infrastructure enhancements along the Middle Corridor are expected to triple the volume of cargo transported by 2030, reaching 11 million tons. A vital component of this corridor is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, which will significantly reduce transit distances and has the potential to transport up to 15 million tons of cargo annually.

We have also made significant strides in transport and customs cooperation. Agreements such as the Simplified Customs Corridor, International Combined Freight Transport, and digitalization initiatives like E-Permit, E-CMR, and E-TIR are helping to streamline logistics and enhance trade efficiency. All these efforts are contributing to our broader goal of deepening regional economic integration and improving trade flows among our member states.

Furthermore, we have entered a new phase of cooperation in space exploration. At the 11th Summit in Bishkek, an agreement was signed to jointly develop and launch a Turkic satellite. This satellite will be used for meteorological observation, disaster warning, agro-monitoring, and yield assessment. The development of this satellite has the potential to become a flagship project of space cooperation among the OTS member states.

Currently, over 15 new cooperation formats have been launched, including joint work by ministers of industry, justice, and central electoral bodies. In education, we are advancing joint degree programs and mobility schemes through the Union of Turkic Universities.

In recent years, our scope has expanded to include new areas such as green energy and climate resilience, through initiatives like the Turkic Green Vision and the Drought Prevention Institute in Budapest.

- Recently, issues of common security and defense mechanisms have come to the agenda. What initiatives exist in the field of military cooperation within the OTS framework?

- Military and security cooperation has become an increasingly important dimension of collaboration within the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), guided by a shared commitment to regional stability and common strategic interests.

The Heads of State, in both the Istanbul and Samarkand Summit Declarations, instructed the Member States to maintain regular political and security consultations to ensure close coordination on matters of mutual concern. This directive was further elaborated in the Turkic World 2040 Vision document, which set forth a strategic goal of building a comprehensive cooperation and information-sharing network among Member States to address radicalization, extremism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, terrorism, and to enhance border security.

The OTS 2022–2026 Strategy Document also outlines clear objectives in the realm of defense cooperation. It calls for strengthened technical collaboration between relevant national institutions and defense industry organizations. This includes establishing mechanisms for the exchange of information and expertise in military innovation, defense technologies, and aviation.

In terms of defense industry collaboration, the OTS is launching a new initiative this year: the first Meeting of the Heads of Defense Industry Institutions of the Member States, scheduled to be held in July 2025 on the sidelines of the IDEF-2025 Fair. This event will serve as a key step in initiating multilateral defense industry cooperation. Following this, preparations will begin for the inaugural Meeting of the Defense Ministers of the Turkic States.

Furthermore, the concept of a "Common Security Concept" is under discussion within the OTS framework. This initiative aims to develop a unified stance and coordinated response to emerging threats and challenges, reinforcing collective security in the Turkic region.

- Azerbaijan's role in the Turkic world is strengthening both politically and economically. How are Azerbaijan's initiatives in the post-conflict period and the opportunities it creates for regional cooperation reflected in the OTS agenda?

- Azerbaijan is a founding member of the Organization of Turkic States and the Agreement on the Establishment of the Organization of Turkic States was signed in the city of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan in 2009.

First of all, Azerbaijan, which is located geographically in the middle of the Turkic region, carries special importance for the unified Turkic World. Tied with other Turkic countries by the common history, language, culture and traditions, Azerbaijan plays the role of bridge in the Turkic world.

Secondly, we can proudly point out the significant political, economic and social development of Azerbaijan after the restoration of its independence in 1991. Azerbaijan proved itself to be a reliable partner in the international arena.

During the current time of harsh political-military turbulences in the world, any country’s willingness and ability safeguard peace, stability and security has become a significant asset. The policies of Azerbaijan, which is a part of the Turkic world, might serve as an example in this respect. Today, after full restoration of its sovereignty and territorial integrity on the basis of the principles of international law, Azerbaijan strongly contributes to peace, stability and prosperity not only within the country, but also in the region and beyond.

Moreover, Azerbaijan is a very significant country in terms of the development of trade, transport and connectivity within the Turkic region. Azerbaijan is one of the initiators of the regional projects on energy and transport in the bilateral and multilateral format within the Turkic countries.

As known, the country implemented large-scale regional energy and transportation projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Corridor, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, etc.

Additionally, the agreement signed by Azerbaijan on December 17, 2022 with Georgia, Hungary, and Romania aims to build a strategic partnership in the field of green energy development and transmission, which includes developing a submarine power cable under the Black Sea, effectively creating a renewable energy transmission corridor from Azerbaijan, via Georgia, to Romania and further onward to Hungary. We believe that this project could become a new and reliable power source for the European Union.

At the same time, Azerbaijan is increasing investments to raise the transmission capacity of the East-West transport corridor, which connects Central Asian countries and Türkiye through Azerbaijan.

I would like to mention that upon the proposal of the President of Azerbaijan, informal meetings of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States are held once a year, along with the regular meetings of the Council of Heads of State. As known, in 2024, Azerbaijan hosted an Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha on the theme of “Building a Sustainable Future through Transport, Connectivity and Climate Action”.

In 2025, Azerbaijan will be hosting the next regular Summit of the Organization of Turkic States and thereafter shall hold the presidency in the Organization.

As the Secretariat of the Organization of Turkic States, we have always felt the strong political will by the leadership of Azerbaijan to strengthen and solidify the Turkic world. In this regard, I would like to refer to the remarks made by H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, during his inauguration ceremony on February 14, 2024.

In his address, the President emphasized that the Organization of Turkic States is a priority and main international organization for Azerbaijan, because it is a family. As the President mentioned, the Turkic World possesses a vast geography, an extensive territory, a large military prowess, a substantial economy, natural resources, transportation routes, a young and growing population, and peoples from the same roots: “Can there be a stronger union than this? Of course not! We must make a joint effort so that the Organization of Turkic States becomes an important actor and power center in the global arena. We can only achieve this together.”

- What is the level of partnership and diplomatic relations between the OTS and other international organizations - UN, OIC, EU, etc.? What steps are being taken for the organization to have a voice on a global scale?

- OTS is actively engaged in strengthening its international profile through strategic cooperation with global institutions. We have signed memoranda of understanding and action plans with multiple UN agencies, including UN-Habitat, WHO, FAO, and UNIDO. These agreements focus on shared goals such as sustainable cities, health preparedness, food security, and clean energy.

Moreover, OTS engagement with ASEAN, OSCE, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the African Union is strengthening its diplomatic influence beyond the Turkic world.

We are also developing ties with the European Union, particularly through our cooperation with Hungary, an EU member and a strategic bridge between the Turkic world and Europe. The recent Roadmap signed between the OTS Secretariat and Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, within the framework of Hungary’s EU Presidency, paves the way for closer cooperation in trade, education, innovation, and environmental governance.

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