Leaders of Turkic states to gather in Azerbaijan next week

The 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will be held on October 6–7 this year in Gabala, Azerbaijan, under the theme ’’Regional security and peace.’’ This was reported by the organization’s press service to QALAMPIR.UZ.

It is stated that the summit will bring together heads of state and government, as well as high-level delegations and observers from OTS member states.

’’This will serve as an important platform for discussing regional and international issues, strengthening cooperation, and adopting significant documents aimed at fostering peace and prosperity in the Turkic world,’’ the statement said.

As part of the official program, a meeting of the OTS Council of Foreign Ministers will be held prior to the session of the Council of Heads of State. The gathering in Gabala is expected to reflect shared views on further strengthening friendship, brotherhood, solidarity, and partnership among Turkic states.

It is worth noting that the 11th OTS Summit was held on November 6, 2024, in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, under the theme ’’Strengthening the Turkic world: economic integration, sustainable development, digital future, and security for all.’’ That summit brought together the leaders of the five member states, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the heads of observer countries. The leaders discussed ways to further enhance multilateral cooperation within the OTS and signed a number of documents, including the final declaration.

At that summit, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed the mutual broadcasting of cable television channels to create a unified information space for the Turkic world. Meanwhile, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev noted that the budget of the Organization of Turkic States was insufficient to achieve its stated goals.

During the same event, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, for the first time, condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza as well as efforts to restrict the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).