Türkiye to assume OTS presidency as bloc deepens integration in energy, defense, AI
Türkiye is preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) later this year, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after an informal summit in Kazakhstan. The OTS, whose members span an area of over 170 million people with a combined GDP exceeding $2 trillion, is evolving from a cultural platform into a multi-faceted geopolitical and techno-geopolitical body, according to analysts. Erdoğan stated the Turkic world can play a more efficient role for regional peace and stability, with cooperation expanding in diplomacy, energy, commerce, transportation, security, and defense.
Türkiye will assume the rotating presidency of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) toward the end of 2026, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced after an informal summit of Turkic leaders in Kazakhstan earlier in May.
Speaking to journalists on his return from the summit in Turkestan, Erdoğan said the Turkic world can play a more efficient role for regional peace and stability. “The Turkic world has a great economic, cultural and strategic potential and we are striving to activate this potential and develop more cooperation in diplomacy, energy, commerce, transportation, security and defense,” Erdoğan said.
The OTS membership now spans an area hosting more than 170 million people, and the combined gross domestic product of member countries exceeded $2 trillion, according to data cited by analysts.
Professor Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, president of the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM), said the OTS has evolved from a cooperation platform based on cultural identity into a more institutional, multi-faceted and “techno-geopolitical” body. Assistant professor Sinan Demirtürk of Gazi University, chair of the Türkiye Policy and Strategic Research Foundation (TURPAV), said the OTS is central to Türkiye’s Turkic world policies.
At the summit, OTS members agreed to endorse joint enterprises on satellite development, including the nano-class CubeSat-12U satellite project with a target launch by 2026. Countries also agreed to develop a legal framework for cooperation on artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
Demirtürk noted that the informal summit included a close assessment of the consequences of the Iran war, and that the six Turkic states demonstrated a collective will in calling for peace between the United States and Iran. He said the OTS is rising as a consequence of Russia’s diminishing power in Central Asia and is working toward building a regional geopolitical balance against China’s influence.
Erol said Türkiye can contribute to OTS institutionalization in logistics, supply chains, and energy security, particularly regarding the Middle Corridor and the Development Road. He added that Türkiye can help accelerate OTS defense capacity through joint military training, cybersecurity, border security, hybrid threat coordination, counterterrorism, and defense industry projects.
On the question of deeper integration, Erol said it is difficult for the OTS to evolve into a European Union-like fully integrated structure in the short run, but a transition model could carry it gradually toward full integration.