Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed at the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara that Russia’s intention be viewed positively and that it be invited to participate in the organization’s work.
“To enhance the authority of our Organization, it would be right and fair to view Russia’s intention positively and invite it to join this format or participate in OTS activities as an observer,” Tokayev said while discussing the “OTS+” format. The text of his speech was published by the press service of Akorda.
“As a major power, Russia has maintained close ties with the Turkic world for centuries. Representatives of many Turkic peoples have historically lived on the territory of this country,” the Kazakh leader said. He recalled that Russia is promoting the “Altai — Cradle of Turkic Civilization” project, which Kazakhstan supports, and that many words in the Russian language have Turkic origins.
“In general, if Russia became part of the Turkic countries, that is, our Organization, it would benefit all our states,” Tokayev said.
The President of Kazakhstan also said that his country’s trade turnover with OTS member states had approached $10 billion this year, increasing by 40%, while the volume of freight traffic along the Middle Corridor had risen by 30% over nine months. He noted that the organization’s chairmanship was passing from Azerbaijan to Türkiye.
The OTS members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan. Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have observer status.
"Altai - the cradle of Turkic civilization"
Justifying his proposal, Tokayev recalled that Russia is promoting the project "Altai - the cradle of Turkic civilization," which Kazakhstan supports. According to him, Russia's participation in the "OTS+" format or with observer status would enhance the organization's authority.
According to RT, about 12 million people speaking Turkic languages live in Russia; the largest Turkic peoples in the country are Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, and Yakuts. There was no official reaction from the Kremlin to the Kazakh leader's initiative at the time of publication.
The Organization of Turkic States was established in 2009 as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States and received its current name in 2021. At the summit in Ankara, the chairmanship of the organization passed from Azerbaijan to Turkey.
