OTS Cements Role on the Silk Road at Gabala Summit

The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) strengthened its position as a key regional player at the 2025 Gabala Summit in Azerbaijan, held under the theme Regional Peace and Security. Founded in 2009 as a cultural bloc and institutionalised in 2018, the OTS now coordinates across economics, defense and education with regular ministerial meetings.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, attending as an observer, praised the Turkic world’s commitment to peace and framed Hungary as a bridge to the West. Summit outcomes included new economic cooperation tracks and proposals for joint security initiatives, signaling OTS’ growing influence across Greater Eurasia.

A headline step was President Ilham Aliyev’s proposal for joint military training in 2026, building on fast-deepening defense ties: the Turkiye–Azerbaijan alliance under the Shusha Declaration (2021), Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan ties elevated to allied level in 2022, and the Azerbaijan–Uzbekistan Treaty of Allied Relations in 2024. Leaders said tighter security coordination is essential amid regional instability, while energy, transport and connectivity projects serve both Turkic states and European Union interests.

The summit also launched «OTS+», a flexible format to work with non-Turkic partners on shared economic, political and security priorities. The move widens the organization’s reach while keeping full membership for states with cultural or ethnic links to the Turkic world.