Organization of Turkic States (OTS)

The Organization of Turkic States is an intergovernmental body for political, economic, cultural and scientific cooperation among the Turkic states. It was founded with the Nakhchivan Agreement, signed in Nakhchivan on 3 October 2009 by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye. It was originally called the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, or simply the Turkic Council.

Members and observers

Uzbekistan joined the four founders in 2019. Hungary has been an observer since 2018, Turkmenistan since 2021 and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus since 2022. All eight states covered by this site therefore take part in its work.

A new name, a new goal

At the Istanbul summit on 12 November 2021 the Turkic Council became the Organization of Turkic States. The same summit adopted its long-term strategy, the "Turkic World Vision 2040", which aims at closer ties in every field from politics and transport to the economy and education.

Summits

Heads of state meet once a year. The 11th summit was held in Bishkek in November 2024 and the 12th in Gabala, Azerbaijan, on 7 October 2025, when Azerbaijan took over the chairmanship. An informal summit was also held in Shusha in July 2024. The 13th summit is planned for Ankara at the end of October 2026.

Sister institutions

Several bodies work around the OTS: the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA, Baku), the International Turkic Academy (Astana), the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (Baku), TÜRKSOY (Ankara), the Turkic Investment Fund and the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Istanbul). The day the agreement was signed, 3 October, is marked every year as the Cooperation Day of Turkic Speaking States.