By Faruk Hanedar
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) doubled its activities in 2023 compared to the previous year and experienced one of its most active years.
Speaking to Anadolu, Secretary General of the OTS Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev said there are cooperation platforms in various fields, including education, tourism, energy, trade, sports, and agriculture, adding that ten different platform meetings were held this year.
"We have organized many events this year. In 2021, OTS, which is headquartered in Istanbul, held a total of 43 events. In 2022, this number increased to 66. In 2023, we organized 110 events in 11 months," Omuraliev said.
"One of the most important areas is the economy and trade. We have significant initiatives in this regard," he said.
"We also held two meetings on the common alphabet in Bursa in 2022 and this year in Bishkek. Currently, we are working on a common alphabet. Hopefully, there will be some innovations soon," Omuraliev noted.
"There are many international organizations in the world. What makes us different is that our religion, language, history, and culture are unified. Our people are brothers. It is crucial for our leaders to come together and work," Omuraliev stressed.
"Our peoples are one, inseparable, and cannot be divided. This is the most important thing. We have a thousand years of brotherhood," he said.
Omuraliev underlined that Uzbekistan has been carrying out the term Presidency of the OTS in 2023, while Kazakhstan will assume the presidency in 2024.
"This year, many events will be held under the motto 'Turkic Era.' A summit will take place in Bishkek at the end of 2024, and the presidency will pass to Kyrgyzstan," he added.
OTS, whose founding name was Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking Countries (in short, Turkic Council)", was established on Oct. 3, 2009 with the Nakhichevan Agreement signed by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye.
Aiming to integrate the Turkic world with common historical and cultural values, OTS carries out activities to lay the groundwork for cooperation among member countries in various fields, from economy to politics, from culture to tourism, and from education to sports.
OTS, which has gained recognition on a regional scale over time, has become an international organization that strengthens the geopolitical position of the Turkic world, with its member countries having approximately 5 million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles) of land in 14 years.
The decision of the Turkic Council to change its name to Organization of Turkic States at the 8th Leaders' Summit held in Istanbul on Nov. 12, 2021, was interpreted as the beginning of a new era in the integration process in the Turkic world in the international arena.
Turkmenistan, Hungary and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are included as "observers" in the OTS, whose number of member countries increased to five with the participation of Uzbekistan at the Baku Summit in 2019.
*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara.