These sentiments, expressed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, during the inauguration ceremony on February 14th this year, highlight Azerbaijan’s commitment to reinforcing and developing the unity of the Turkic world, which spans a vast geography, possesses significant military power, a robust economy, natural resources, and transportation routes.
The role of President Ilham Aliyev in the integration and development of the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is evident. The member states and their leaders not only share the views of the Azerbaijani head of state in this direction but also make efforts within their capabilities to further develop the organization and transform it into a prestigious international structure. There is no doubt that the work carried out by the Azerbaijani leader concerning this organization, and the ideas and initiatives he puts forward, serve as a beacon indicating the future trajectory of the OTS.
The Turkic World in Shusha
The decision to hold an informal summit of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha was made at the 10th anniversary summit of the OTS under the slogan “The Turkic Century” in Astana last November. This decision once again underscores the significant importance our country places on relations with Turkic states.
Overall, Azerbaijan’s relations with the countries of the Turkic world have been on an upward trajectory in recent years, with their cooperation expanding to cover almost all areas.
Azerbaijan’s Economic Ties with OTS Member and Observer Countries
From January to March 2024, Azerbaijan’s trade turnover with the countries included in the Organization of Turkic States and those with observer status amounted to 1.7091 billion US dollars, which constitutes 17.6 percent of our country’s total trade turnover.
According to the State Customs Committee, in the first quarter of this year, Azerbaijan’s trade turnover with Turkey amounted to 1.4691 billion dollars, with Turkmenistan to 96.926 million dollars, with Kazakhstan to 70.829 million dollars, with Uzbekistan to 35.814 million dollars, with Kyrgyzstan to 23.382 million dollars, and import-export operations with Hungary amounted to 13 million dollars.
In the first quarter of this year, non-oil products worth 150.291 million dollars were exported from Azerbaijan to Turkey, 20.815 million dollars to Kyrgyzstan, 16.861 million dollars to Turkmenistan, and 11.731 million dollars to Kazakhstan.
It is worth noting that last year, Azerbaijan’s trade turnover with the OTS member states amounted to 8.208 billion dollars, which is 23.7 percent more than the previous year. Overall, last year, import-export operations with the member states of the organization constituted 16 percent of Azerbaijan’s total trade turnover.
The numbers also indicate that Azerbaijan’s ties and cooperation with these countries are continuously expanding.
Development of Cooperation, Mutual Support, and Visits
Today, interstate relations are developing not only in the political sphere but also in humanitarian, educational, cultural, and other areas. Leaders of the Turkic world countries provide each other with fraternal support. In connection with the earthquake that occurred in Turkey at the beginning of last year, an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Turkic States was held in the capital Ankara on March 16 on the topic “Disaster – Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid,” which once again demonstrated the solidarity of the member states of the organization. Furthermore, recognizing Azerbaijan’s contribution to the unity of the Turkic world, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are building schools, arts centers, and mosques in our territories liberated from occupation, exemplifying their support for our country. Brotherly Turkish companies are also actively participating in the restoration of Karabakh and East Zangazur.
The Middle Corridor project is another contribution of Azerbaijan to the unity of the Turkic world countries. The Middle Corridor can also be called a chain of values. However, the advantages of this corridor and its geographical coverage allow it to serve as the main coordinator of the Organization of Turkic States.
The corridor’s trajectory gives reason to recognize it as a project uniting the Turkic states, which collectively have a gross product of over 1 trillion US dollars.
Today, Azerbaijan is considered one of the main links of the Middle Corridor project. Our country provides the necessary infrastructure on its territory for the development and efficiency of the corridor. Through Azerbaijan’s investments, the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which is a part of the Middle Corridor, has increased from 1 million to 5 million tons. At the same time, Azerbaijan intends to increase the capacity of the Alat International Sea Trade Port from 15 million tons to 25 million tons per year. Currently, our country is working on increasing the volume of railway transportation to 15 million tons per year, with plans to potentially increase this figure to 30 million tons if necessary. This shows that our country is seriously working on enhancing the efficiency of the East-West route, that is, from Central Asia to Europe, ensuring faster and cheaper delivery of goods from most OTS member states to the West.
Intensive mutual visits are one of the factors demonstrating our country’s ties with the Turkic world. As the head of state mentioned a few days ago at the “SCO plus” meeting in Astana, he has visited Kazakhstan four times in the last two years, and the President of Kazakhstan has visited Azerbaijan three times during this period. Furthermore, in the last two years, Azerbaijan has been visited by the presidents of Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Northern Cyprus, and the Prime Minister of Hungary. President Ilham Aliyev has also visited these countries. All this indicates the high level of bilateral relations between our countries.
Azerbaijan-Turkey Relations: A Pillar of the Turkic World
Azerbaijan’s relations with brotherly Turkey hold exceptional significance not only for the two countries but also for the Turkic world. Today, the unity of Turkey and Azerbaijan has become an important factor not only for the region but also for all of Eurasia.
President Ilham Aliyev characterized our country’s relations with Turkey and the importance of official Ankara both for our country and our region as follows: “Today, the word of Turkey is heeded around the world. Many issues depend on Turkey’s position not only in our region but also globally. Turkey is a guarantor of peace, stability, and cooperation in our region. Turkey’s powerful industrial potential, its strong economy, and its military might delight everyone who belongs to the Turkic world.”
Expectations from the Informal OTS Summit in Shusha
Today, a new tradition is being laid in the history of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha. For the first time this year, the heads of OTS member states gathered at an informal summit. The holding of not only an official but also an informal summit should be seen as a factor contributing to the further deepening of cooperation and partnership between our countries. Very important topics, such as transport, relations, and climate change, which are dedicated to the summit, once again emphasize the importance of further expanding cooperation between the Turkic states in these areas. The event is of particular significance in terms of discussing and implementing the agenda items of the Organization of Turkic States at the level of heads of state and government. It can be confidently stated that the Shusha Summit will become an important platform for further strengthening cooperation and integration between the member states of the Organization of Turkic States and for discussing important issues concerning these countries.
