Today in Gabala, the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) begins its work. The host country, Azerbaijan, has proposed “Regional Peace and Security” as the main theme of the summit — a choice that is far from accidental. The current global political dynamic is marked by growing tensions, and the borders of OTS member and observer states are surrounded by countries directly or indirectly involved in large-scale military and political confrontations. All of this poses a serious threat to the stability and development of the central part of Eurasia, where the OTS members are located.
When global political tensions reach a level that undermines traditional mechanisms of stability, regional alliances and cooperation frameworks become buffers and anchors of balance. Therefore, the theme of the 12th OTS Summit in Gabala — “Regional Peace and Security” — is not a mere declaration, but a reflection of a conscious need to strengthen collective mechanisms for protecting the interests of the Turkic world, now at the epicenter of geopolitical transformation. The countries of the OTS are surrounded by regions torn by armed conflicts, great-power rivalries, and the replacement of diplomacy with force. Under these conditions, ensuring internal resilience, border security, and an independent foreign policy becomes not only a matter of national concern but of shared regional survival.
Hosting the summit, Azerbaijan proposes to view security not as an abstract concept but as a system of mutual obligations built on trust and institutional coordination. Common historical and cultural roots provide fertile ground for political rapprochement, but trust must be backed by tangible mechanisms — from intelligence sharing and joint counterterrorism programs to infrastructure projects that make the region economically interdependent. The denser the network of roads, energy systems, and communications among OTS countries, the harder it becomes for external actors to impose confrontational scenarios or undermine regional unity.
At the same time, the Organization of Turkic States is increasingly emerging as an independent diplomatic actor — capable of mediating disputes, serving as a bridge between East and West, North and South, and proposing solutions based on balance and consensus rather than pressure. In an era when geopolitical fault lines run through Eurasia, the Turkic states can offer a model of “responsible neutrality” — one in which security is not opposed to cooperation but becomes its logical extension.
It is worth recalling that Baku was the first to propose integrating security-related themes into the OTS agenda. At the Istanbul Summit, held shortly after the 44-day war, President Ilham Aliyev urged his counterparts to consider institutionalizing cooperation in the security field. This initiative was not directed against any external actors; rather, its purpose was to strengthen coordination among relevant structures of OTS countries to prevent risks arising from international terrorism, provocations, sabotage, and the danger of being drawn into regional or global conflicts.
Thus, a new logical axis was established within the Turkic agenda: security ceased to be seen solely as a component of national interest and became an integral dimension of intergovernmental cooperation. In today’s world — where “threat” and “unpredictability” take on new forms — the creation of institutional frameworks, information exchange centers, rapid-response mechanisms, and coordination platforms for legal and security agencies has become essential. This is not mere symbolism but a tool for survival and for strengthening regional agency.
A new security paradigm implies that the Turkic states themselves define protection standards and build trust-based bridges — not only within the OTS but also with neighboring regions. The key here is not competition but synergy: the more actively the organization’s member states engage in joint threat assessment, intelligence exchange, and border policy synchronization, the stronger their collective immunity becomes to external pressure and hybrid challenges.
Azerbaijan’s proposal to create a “security framework” within the OTS is thus both a response to current crises and a strategic step toward the sustainable development of the region. Here, security is viewed not as a sphere of military confrontation, but as a space of political responsibility, where leaders must turn declarations into real roadmaps. The Gabala Summit represents an opportunity to consolidate Baku’s initiatives, establish institutional frameworks, and transform the notion of “regional peace and security” from a slogan into a systemic component of the architecture of Turkic cooperation.
Ilgar Velizade
