Organization of Turkic States foreign ministers to meet in Ankara on Thursday

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Thursday as part of the organization's 13th summit.

According to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, foreign ministers of the member states will convene for the fifth time this year, with one regular and four informal council meetings, at the gathering in Ankara on Oct. 29-30.

The meeting is expected to include consultations on areas of cooperation within the organization and efforts to strengthen its institutional structure.

Participants are also expected to approve several administrative and financial documents concerning the organization's operations at the end of the meeting.

Fidan is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the gathering.

In his address, Fidan is expected to emphasize that political dialogue and the capacity for joint action among Turkic states have been strengthened under the organization's umbrella, while shared historical, linguistic and cultural ties and bonds of brotherhood have been translated into concrete cooperation.

During Türkiye's chairmanship of the organization, Fidan is expected to underline that priorities will include enhancing the organization's institutional capacity, improving the human and financial resources and capabilities of its secretariat, and strengthening coordination among Turkic cooperation organizations.

He is also expected to stress the importance of translating economic and strategic cooperation into tangible results, particularly in energy, trade, investment, digital transformation and the defense industry.

Fidan is expected to highlight the importance of strengthening the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor to improve connectivity between Asia and Europe and reinforce economic resilience.

He is also expected to draw attention to developments in Afghanistan and their implications for regional security, stability and connectivity, emphasizing the need to increase consultations and coordination on the issue among member and observer states.

- Organization of Turkic States

The organization was established as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States under the Nakhchivan Agreement signed on Oct. 3, 2009, by Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Its name was changed to the Organization of Turkic States at the Istanbul Summit in 2021.

Its main objectives include strengthening mutual trust and political solidarity among Turkic states, developing and deepening economic and technical cooperation, and documenting and promoting the historical and cultural heritage of the Turkic world.

Headquartered in Istanbul, the OTS has five members -- Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan -- and four observers: Hungary, Turkmenistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Economic Cooperation Organization.

- 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States

The OTS's 13th summit will be held in Ankara on Oct. 29-30, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Inspired by Erdoğan's vision of the Century of the Turkic World and the motto of Ismail Gasprinski, the summit will be held under the theme Turkish Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Action.