Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM)

The Council of Foreign Ministers constitute the second highest organ of the Organization of Turkic States after the Council of Heads of State. The CFM, as one of the principal platforms to discuss the main issues of the OTS and take necessary decisions that would guide the Organization, has so far held 28 meetings.  

In principle, the CFM regularly convenes on the occasion of the annual Summits of the Heads of State. It can also assemble in informal and extraordinary formats to discuss the topics of mutual concern. For instance, it has become a customary practice to hold informal CFM meetings of the OTS on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York since 2011. Moreover, when needed, Foreign Ministers gather at the Extraordinary sessions of the CFM. So far, 5 Extraordinary CFM meetings were held within the framework of the OTS where the Member States came together to discuss certain pressing issues high on their agenda. Out of 28 CFM meetings held so far, 12 were informal and 5 were extraordinary sessions.

The last regular meeting of the CFM was convened preceding the 11^th OTS Summit held on 6 November 2024 in Bishkek, to finalize the documents to be signed by the Heads of State, as well as discussed various issues on the agenda of the Organization.

Council of Elders (CoE)

In line with the Turkic history and tradition, Member States decided to constitute the Council of Elders (CoE) as an advisory-consultative mechanism while establishing then called Turkic Council. CoE is inscribed in Nakhchivan Agreement as one of the organs of the Turkic Council together with the Council of Heads of State (CHS), Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), Senior Officials Committee (SOC), and the Secretariat.
 
With its high-level members possessing huge experience mainly in bureaucracy, statesmanship or academia, CoE submits opinions, recommendations, programs, projects and proposals to the CFM and CHS for the promotion of the cooperation among the Turkic States within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). They can also facilitate the implementation of the ongoing projects of the OTS or help overcome some problematic points with their experience.

CoEs main purpose is to support the preservation and development of high spiritual and moral values of history, culture, language and traditions of the peoples of Member States. For this purpose, its members attend international conferences, seminars, workshops, and other initiatives aiming at promoting cooperation among the Member States. CoE is also tasked with conducting other activities assigned by the CHS.

The CoE, having strengthened its structure with some amendments adopted at the 8^th Summit of the OTS held in Istanbul on 11 November 2021, has convened 16 times so far, and the last meeting was held on 28-29 November 2024 in Budapest.

Security Cooperation

Security cooperation has become increasingly significant within framework of the OTS due to recent global and regional developments and rising conventional and non-conventional security risks and challenges. This enhanced emphasis is underscored by key OTS documents such as the Summit Declarations, Turkic World Vision-2040, and OTS Strategy 2022-2026 documents.

Moreover, during the OTS Summits, the Heads of State have emphasized the importance of regular political and security consultations to ensure close coordination on political and security issues of common interest. They also underlined the need for a common security stance and concerted action in response to unpredictable changes and threats.

In this respect, the security consultations among the OTS Member States were ramped up and continued to be conducted at the level of the Secretaries of the National Security Councils (NSCs) of the Member State since 2022.

The first, second, and third meetings of the NSCs were held in Ankara, Tashkent, and Turkistan in 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively. The Heads of State called for the continuation of the NSC meetings regularly. The fourth round of the OTS NSC meeting will be held in Kyrgyzstan in 2025.

At the security consultations, Member States elaborate on the existing security environment and emerging developments in the OTS region and the world. They discuss at length the current security threats and challenges targeting the OTS countries, as well as potential ramifications of certain regional and global situations and trends to the Turkic region. They pay emphasis on devising mechanisms within the framework of the OTS to enhance the existing security cooperation with concrete projects and programs.

Junior Diplomats Joint Training Program

In accordance with the “Cooperation Protocol among the Ministries of Foreign Affairs”, signed at the 3rd Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, “Junior Diplomats Joint Training Program” was incorporated into the activities of the Secretariat. The training program includes language courses aiming at familiarizing the participants with the languages of the Member States at the basic level, stressing common characteristics, as well as sessions on common Turkic history, international organizations,  negotiation techniques, public relations, role of international and regional organizations, security issues and foreign policy priorities, trade and transportation networks, conflicts in the region and common cultural diplomacy of the Turkic States.  The last 6th Joint Training Program was successfully implemented with the close collaboration of ADA University on 12-26 May 2019 in Azerbaijan.

This Training program is also included as a case study under the title of “South-South Cooperation and Diplomacy: Junior Diplomats Training Program (JDTP) to United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation Publication “South-South in Action on Peace and Development”, which was presented at BAPA+40 Side Event: South-South Cooperation on Peace and Development at the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation in Buenos-Aires, Argentina on 19 March 2019. It is noted in the Publication that the Organization of Turkic States has devised a tailored training initiative in order to support the evolution of cooperation among young diplomats. Since the inception of the Program in 2014, 138 junior diplomats have benefitted from the training program; 65 of them were women.

Due to the pandemic the program was paused. The next is planned be held in Kazakhstan.

Cooperation among Foreign Policy Research Centers

The cooperation process among the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member States was initiated by the Secretariat of OTS. The first meeting among the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers was hosted by the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SAM Azerbaijan) in Baku on 8 May 2015. The meeting was followed by the signing ceremony of the MoU among the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member States of the Organization of Turkic States.

As the implementation of the decision taken at the first meeting among the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers, SAM Türkiye prepared a special publication, ‘Fifth Summit of the Organization of Turkic States: A Raising Actor in Regional Cooperation in Eurasia’ devoted to the Fifth Summit of the Organization of Turkic States and it was presented to the Heads of State during the 5th Summit. Within the framework of this cooperation process, SAM Azerbaijan launched the internship for researchers from other Research Centers. As a result of this internship, the “Organization of Turkic States Countries: Infrastructure, Trade, Logistics, and Transportation\" Report was released in English as the special publication series of the SAM of Azerbaijan in November 2017. It was co-authored by SAM`s Research Fellow at the Economic Analysis and Global Affairs Department Mahir Humbatov, a PhD candidate at SOAS University of London and Kazım Sarı, Associate Professor at the Beykent University. This report aims to investigate the logistics and transportation potential of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It also sheds light on the trade and economic relations of the mentioned countries, available infrastructure projects and the promising infrastructure development programs planned to be implemented in the near future. Organization of Turkic States and SAM Türkiye also published a special academic edition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Independence of the Member States of the Organization of Turkic States on the occasion of the 6th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States.

The 5th Meeting was hosted on 3 October 2019 in Baku by the Center for Analysis of the International Relations (AIR Centre) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On the sidelines of this meeting, AIR Centre also organized an international conference, “Organization of Turkic States: the 10th Anniversary of the Nakhichevan Agreement”. During the meeting and the conference, the Parties discussed the perspectives of further cooperation among themselves, as well as had a panel discussion on problems and prospects of institutionalization and development of the Organization of Turkic States and future perspectives for cooperation among the Member States. Another Special Publication dedicated to the 10th Anniversary of the Nakhchivan Agreement was issued by the Secretariat and AIR Centre with the contribution of the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Parties and Turkic Cooperation Organizations. The 6th Meeting was hosted by the National Institute for Strategic Studies of the Kyrgyz Republic in the format of a video conference call on 19 November 2020.

The 7th meeting of the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member and Observer States of the Organization of Turkic States hosted by the Center for Strategic Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye was held in Istanbul on 10 December 2021. The panelists shared their views and proposals on the cooperation among the Member and Observer States along with the Vision document and its further implementation. The importance of strengthening collaboration in the field of economy and trade, and effective utilization of the joint economic and transit transport potential of the Member and Observer States was also underlined in the panel. Furthermore, the experts had productive discussions on the next steps, such as elaborating on issuing special publications on the “Turkic World Vision - 2040”, as well as using scholarship opportunities for their researchers, and exchanging works and publications related to the activities and projects of the Organization of Turkic States. The Parties also agreed to hold a conference in Shusha city, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan.

The 8th meeting of the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member and Observer States of the Organization of Turkic States hosted by the Institute for Strategic and International Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Tashkent on 14 October 2022. The meeting that was held on the topic “OTS space: prospects to develop trade and economic cooperation and transport and logistics interconnectedness”, brought together representatives of the Center of Analysis of International Relations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies Under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Institute for Strategic Studies of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Center for Strategic Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. Profile scientists and specialists from universities of Uzbekistan, including the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent State Transport University also participated in the Conference.

The experts had detailed panel discussions on prospects of cooperation in the new geopolitical conditions, the untapped potential in the fields of industry, energy, agriculture and trade as well as transport and logistics connectivity of the OTS countries and shared their recommendations with the Secretariat of the OTS. The heads of delegations signed the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation among the official research centers of the Member and Observer States for maintaining regular contacts and developing comprehensive cooperation in order to facilitate the further process of integration within the OTS. The Parties also agreed to hold the next regular meeting of the Research Centers in Kazakhstan in 2023.

Election Observer Missions

The Organization of Turkic States participates in the election processes of the Member States by commissioning international observer missions to ensure fair, transparent and democratic elections. The Missions are composed of the representatives of the Central Election Commissions of the Member States, members of academia of the OTS countries, and officials from the OTS Secretariat. Since 2011, the OTS has sent more than 30 International Observation Missions to the presidential and parliamentary elections as well as referenda taking place in the Member and Observer States to support the political participation in respective countries.

Turkic World Vision - 2040

Approved by the Heads of State at the 8^th Summit of the OTS on 12 November 2021 in Istanbul, the Turkic World Vision – 2040 constitutes a framework containing main guidelines of cooperation and coordination in the Turkic World in the trajectory of 2040.

The main objective is to set out a shared vision for the future and the concrete measures necessary in various areas to move the relations of Member States from cooperation towards gradual integration. The Vision 2040 has set bold goals translating the will and the interests of Member States into a unique vision for the future that will, to a large extent, shape the strategic orientation of the Turkic cooperation. Nevertheless, the Vision 2040 is designed as a living and dynamic document, which will continue to evolve through transparent consultations among the Member States, further determine the Organization’s long-term goals and define where the Member States want to be in 2040.

Goals of the Vision 2040 are strategic, visionary, and in line with the global development agenda, but also authentic, supportive to the history, tradition, identity, resources, and specific development needs of Member States. The main pillars of Vision 2040 have been designed so that the achievements might be accelerated and challenges transformed into opportunities.

With the adoption of Vision 2040, the OTS has made a decisive shift towards a more streamlined, better integrated, and result-oriented approach to implementing its activities. The key long-term targets of the Vision 2040 were determined to seize the opportunity and benefits of closer cooperation among the OTS countries.

The Strategy for 2022-2026 was designed based on the agreed priorities enshrined in the Turkic World Vision-2040. As a living document, which will continue to evolve through transparent consultations among the Member States, the Strategy constitutes practical steps and targets to be reached collectively by the Member States in 5-year working periods. The document is assisting and facilitating joint responses, as well as helping the Turkic States in their own development goals.

Cooperation among the Assistants/Advisors of the Heads of State on Foreign Policy Issues, and Political Consultations at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers

The First Policy Planning Consultations of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 24 June 2022 in Istanbul, Türkiye. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye at the Headquarters of the OTS Secretariat. At the meeting, Parties exchanged views on the global strategic overview and perceptions on major current and future events to take place in the upcoming period. Parties further discussed the regional strategic outlook, political and economic developments in Europe and in Asia, as well as the role of the Organization of Turkic States in the contexts. Referring to the “Turkic World Vision 2040”, which was adopted at the 8th Summit of the OTS in Istanbul, Participants stressed the importance of enhanced and institutionalized cooperation and solidarity among the Member and Observer States to tackle the impacts of the regional and global implications. Political and economic developments, including the security and interconnectivity in Europe, Asia and beyond, were raised during the meeting. Parties agreed to transform the policy planning consultations into a regular mechanism among the relevant authorities of the Member and Observer States to discuss the issues high on the regional and global agenda.

During the Second Policy Planning Consultations of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 18 May 2023 in Baku, the consultations focused on the global and regional strategic outlook, future development scenarios for the OTS, and the assessment of the spread of Turkic culture and languages around the world. Referring to the “Turkic World Vision 2040” and OTS Strategy for 2022-2026 documents the participants also stressed the importance of enhanced and institutionalized cooperation and solidarity among the Member and Observer States to tackle the impacts of the regional and global challenges. 

Based on the growing emphasis that the Heads of State have paid on holding consultations on regional and international issues affecting the interests of the Turkic World in order to develop a consolidated position among the Member States and their clear instruction to organize such consultations in case of emeging issues that would affect the interests of the Member States and hence require their common action, the Policy Consultations are decided to be organized among the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the respective OTS countries.

Representation Office in Budapest

Hungary became an observer member of the then called Turkic Council at the 6^th Summit of the Turkic Council in Cholpon-Ata on 3 September 2019. It was a historic occasion for the OTS since the Organization realized its first enlargement since its foundation with Hungary’s obtention of observer status. 

In the aftermath of its official involvement with the OTS, Hungary has become a valuable partner of the brotherly Turkic States and was deeply incorporated in the ongoing cooperation structure of the Organization in a short span of time. Indeed, with its robust foreign policy orientation called “Eastern Opening”, Hungary has made valuable contributions to the OTS’s sectorial efforts particularly in the economic field. 

As a token of its committed cooperation with the OTS, Prime Minister of Hungary, H.E. Viktor Orbán, proposed to gear up the ongoing cooperation through the establishment of the “European Office of the OTS” in Budapest. Inaugurated in September 2019 with an official ceremony participated by the Foreign Ministers of the Member States and Hungary, the European Office has become a new center of attraction for boosting lucrative cooperation among the sides. The Office has been working to enhance relations of OTS with Hungary as well as to strengthen its ties with the European countries and institutions. The Office has been conducting and supporting programs and projects in the political, economic, historical, cultural areas and other fields of mutual interest; and facilitating the cooperation between business communities of the Member States and Hungary. It also has strong cooperation with the brotherly Turkic Cooperation Organizations, TURKSOY, TURKPA, Turkic Academy, Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, TIF and organize joint activities in Hungary.   

Establishment of the “Drought Prevention Institute” within the framework of the OTS Representation Office in Budapest at the Samarkand Summit in November 2022 is yet another testament to the productive cooperation between Hungary and the Turkic States.