The energy potential of Azerbaijan can be an effective stimulus for economic upsurge in the whole world!

HEYDAR ALİYEV
AZ

Organization of Turkic States

Organization of Turkic States is an intergovernmental organisation which promotes comprehensive cooperation among Turkic speaking states. The organisation was established on 1 November 2012, on the basis of the Nakhchivan Agreement, signed by the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States during a summit held in Nakhchivan on 3 October 2009. When the organization was created, its name was Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states (CCTS). In 2021, the name of the organization was changed and now it continues to operate under the name Organization of Turkic States.

Azerbaijan was one of the four founding members of the organisation. It currently has 5 members: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Türkiye. Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are observers in the organisation.  The headquarter of the organisation is located in Istanbul, Türkiye. Its Secretary General is Kubanychbek Omuraliev (Kyrgyzstan) from 11 November 2022.

The main purposes and tasks of the OTS, in accordance with the Nakhchivan Agreement, are as follows:

     - Strengthening mutual confidence among the members;

    - Maintaining peace in the region and beyond;

    - Promoting common positions on foreign policy issues;

    - Coordinating actions to combat international terrorism, separatism, extremism and trans-border crimes;

    - Promoting effective regional and bilateral cooperation in all areas of common interest;

    - Creating favourable conditions for trade and investment;

    - Aiming at comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development;

    - Expanding interaction in the fields of science, technology, education and culture;

    - Encouraging the interaction of mass media and wider communication;

    - Promoting the exchange of legal information and enhancing legal cooperation.

In order to fulfill the objectives and tasks of the OTS, the following structures were established:

- Council of Heads of State;

- Council of Foreign Ministers;

- Senior Officials Committee;

- Council of Elders;

- Secretariat.

The state that hosts the meeting (Summit) of the Meeting of Heads of State of Organization of Turkic States presides over until the next summit.

Affiliated Institutions and Organizations

The International Organisation of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) was established in 1993. Its headquarter is located in Ankara. The aim of the organisation is to develop cooperation between members in the fields of science, education, culture and art, to spread common values of the Turkic world to the mass public by promoting them on the international level and to deepen cultural ties among the Turkic speaking states.

The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA) was established by the Istanbul Agreement, signed in 2008. Its headquarter is located in Baku TURKPA has the aim of deepening cooperation among the Parliaments of Turkic speaking countries.

The Turkic Academy was set up as a registered institution of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2010. The agreement on the establishment of the academy was signed at the second summit of the OTS in Bishkek on 22-23 August 2012, and international status was given to the Academy. The Turkish Academy is located in the city of Nur-Sultan. It acts to coordinate and promote the study of the language, literature, culture and ethnography of the Turkic peoples. Other activities of the Academy are the study of the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Turkic peoples, as well as increasing their share in the development of world civilization, informing the world community about the achievements of the Turkic peoples.

The Turkic culture and Heritage Foundation was established at the second summit in Bishkek on August 22-23, 2012 and its charter was signed. Its headquarter is located in Baku The fund provides assistance in the protection, study and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage through supporting and funding various activities, projects and programmes.

The Turkic Business Council was established in 2011.  The organisation aims to enhance economic cooperation among Turkic speaking countries through engaging business organisations and entities of the member states of OTS.

The Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established in 2019. It is responsible for the deepening of economic cooperation between Turkic- speaking states through business circles, chambers of trade and industry of the member states.

Turkish investment fund: It is the first joint financial institution of OTS established at the ninth Summit held in Samarkand on 11 November 2022. The fund aims to strengthen trade and economic cooperation between the member states of the organization and implement joint projects.

OTS summits

In accordance with the Nakhchivan Agreement, summits of the OTS are held once a year and the meetings of the OTS Council of Foreign Ministers a day before the annual summits.

To date, 9 Summits of OTS (Almaty, Bishkek, Gabala, Bodrum, Astana, Cholpan-Ata, Baku, Istanbul and Samarkand) have been held.

Also, extraordinary summits of OTS took place on 31 March 2021 and 16 March 2023.

At all OTS summits held so far, the parties emphasized the importance of resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the international borders of the Azerbaijani Republic and expressed their readiness to contribute to post-conflict restoration, reconstruction and reintegration.

On 15 October 2019, the 7th summit of OTS was held in Baku and Uzbekistan's membership in the organization was approved. A Business Forum was also held the day before the summit. After this summit, the chairmanship of the organization passed to the Republic of Azerbaijan until the next summit.

On 12 November 2021, the 8th OTS summit was held in Istanbul, and the chairmanship of the organization passed from the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Türkiye. The participation of the OTS member states in the transformation of the liberated Karabakh region of Azerbaijan into a green energy zone was emphasized in the document Turkic World Vision 2040 approved during the 8th Summit of the OTS.

On 11 November 2022, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the 9th Summit of OTS was attended by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and important decisions on OTS were made at the meeting. Kubanychbek Omuraliyev was appointed the new Secretary General of the OTS.

Meetings of Energy Ministers of OTS

On 24 February 2021,the 1st meeting of the energy ministers of the OTS member and observer states was held in the format of a video conference within the chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the meeting, cooperation in the field of oil and gas, expansion of the use of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, advanced technologies, development and diversification of energy routes, rational use of transit opportunities of countries and other issues were discussed. In order to develop cooperation in the field of energy between the OTS member states, it was agreed to form sub-working groups on 3 areas and host the 2nd meeting of the ministers of energy of the OTS of Kazakhstan.

On 28 September 2022 the 2nd meeting of energy ministers of OTS member and observer states was organized in Almaty under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan. The Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan attended the meeting. At the end of the meeting, the OTS program on Energy Cooperation (2023-2027) and its Action Plan were adopted.

On 31 March 2023 the 3rd meeting of energy ministers of the OTS member and observer states was held in Budapest under the chairmanship of Hungary. In the speech, the importance of strengthening the spiritual unity of the Turkic states with political and economic partnerships was discussed. A number of bilateral meetings were also organized within the meeting.