Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the 10th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, making a range of significant statements on regional and international issues. Turkey assumed the rotating presidency of the organisation from Azerbaijan at the summit.
On the issue of Cyprus, Erdoğan stated his belief that the OTS would strengthen its contacts with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). He also expressed his wish to see Turkmenistan join the organisation as a full member in the near future, praising President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's leadership.
The summit was held under the theme 'The Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Action', inspired by the legacy of Ismail Gaspıralı. Erdoğan outlined priorities for Turkey's presidency, including the promotion of a common language, support for cultural and sporting events, and facilitating travel between member states.
On regional matters, Erdoğan expressed support for ongoing contacts between Azerbaijan and Armenia and called for tensions with Iran to be resolved through diplomatic means rather than conflict. He also urged Turkic states to do more to achieve a just resolution to the Palestinian issue, reiterating support for an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Erdoğan also highlighted the strategic importance of the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor and called for a cybersecurity cooperation agreement to be signed promptly. He further proposed a joint digital trade platform to connect member states' markets and called on all members to contribute to the development of a Great Turkic Language Model.
