Crossroads Asia | Diplomacy | Central Asia

From Ankara To Ankara: 34 Years of Turkic Cooperation

It would have been difficult for the leaders who attended the first Organization of Turkic States summit in 1992 to imagine the group’s progress in the years since.

The flags of the OTS’ member and observer states hanging in Ankara ahead of the summit.

The end of the Cold War, followed by the the dissolution of the Soviet Union, marked a turning point for Türkiye in redefining and developing its relations with the Turkic republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. 

Türkiye was the first country to recognize the independence of the Turkic republics of Central Asia. While Ankara’s policies toward the region took shape amid the uncertainties that emerged following the end of the bipolar order, the Central Asian countries, for their part, prioritized areas such as nation-building, the transition to a market economy, and economic reforms during this process. 

Relations among the countries in the region had not yet fully taken shape during that initial post-independence period. Thirty-five years after the Central Asian republics gained independence, both the international system and Türkiye’s foreign policy have changed significantly. 

As the post-Cold War order has given way to multipolar competition and greater regional initiatives, Ankara has adopted a foreign policy that places increasing emphasis on regional cooperation, economic interconnectivity, and soft power strategies – a policy that, within this framework, is multidimensional, proactive, and seeks autonomy. This change has coincided with the deepening of cooperation among the Central Asian states. For example, some Central Asian republics – such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan – can now travel to each other’s countries using only their national ID cards. Furthermore, by taking constructive steps to resolve certain water and border disputes, they have come to recognize the importance of regional cooperation. 

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has thus regained strategic importance and momentum amid this broad and comprehensive process of transformation.

In this context, the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Ankara on October 29-30, 2026, under the theme “The Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought, and Deed,” marked a turning point in the organization’s institutionalization. 

The Summit process of the Leaders of Turkic-Speaking States, which began in Ankara in late October 1992, laid the foundations for regular political dialogue and mutual trust among the countries. Subsequently, the Nakhchivan Agreement, signed in 2009, transformed this political will into a permanent institutional structure. Finally, at the 2021 Istanbul Summit, the name of the Turkic Council was changed to the Organization of Turkic States, and the “Turkic World 2040 Vision” was adopted; this was a concrete indication that the organization had become much more than a symbolic entity. 

The timing of the  Ankara Summit – October 29-30 – also held its own significance as the opening day coincided with  Türkiye’s Republic Day, bringing to mind the phrase “respect for the past, a legacy for the future.”

So, why is the Ankara Summit important, and what contribution has it made to this process?

The 163-article Ankara Declaration, the 2026 summit’s main outcome, outlined as a priority cooperation in the areas of defense, cybersecurity, trade, energy, education, and transportation. With this summit, Türkiye assumed the rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan. In assuming the rotating presidency, Türkiye’s primary task is to translate the political will expressed at the summit into action-oriented programs and measurable results over the next year.

One of the most notable proposals in the declaration is the establishment of an OTS Defense Industry College, to be hosted by Türkiye in accordance with the defense industry roadmap agreed upon in Baku on October 1. This project demonstrates that the organization seeks to forge ties not only through cultural affinity but also in the areas of joint production and defense. Regarding cybersecurity, they called for accelerating consultations on the Cybersecurity Council and a memorandum of understanding.

Transportation was another key topic at the summit. The communiqué addressed the Middle Corridor connecting Central Asia and Europe, the more efficient use of........

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