Foreign ministers from the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) gathered in Ankara on Thursday to strengthen regional cooperation and finalise preparations for Friday's leaders' summit.
The meeting, held at the presidential complex in the Turkish capital, brought together foreign ministers from all five member states: Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Discussions centred on political and economic cooperation, regional security and preparations for the summit, to be chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
According to the organisation, talks covered the proposed Ankara Declaration, institutional reforms and financial arrangements, including the 2027 budget.
OTS Secretary-General Kubanychbek Ömüraliyev also attended the meeting, briefing ministers on progress made under Azerbaijan's rotating chairmanship.
Ministers also assessed regional and international developments and outlined priorities for the coming years.
Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held bilateral talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, although details of their discussions were not immediately disclosed.
Friday's summit, held under the theme “Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought, and Deed”, will see Türkiye take over the organisation's rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan.
Leaders are expected to adopt the Ankara Declaration, setting out shared priorities, and appoint a new secretary-general.
Trade and transport links are set to take centre stage, with particular emphasis on expanding the Middle Corridor, a multimodal trade route connecting Central Asia to Europe through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
Founded in 2009 as the Turkic Council, the OTS adopted its current name in 2021 and is headquartered in Istanbul.
Originally focused on cultural and linguistic ties, the organisation has expanded its activities to include energy, infrastructure, digital transformation, regional diplomacy and defence industry cooperation.
The Ankara summit comes as member states look to deepen economic and strategic ties in response to shifting global trade routes and a changing geopolitical landscape.
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