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Think tanks from the Organization of Turkic States met in Baku to strengthen regional cooperation. Experts discussed geopolitical shifts, economic plans, and cultural ties, highlighting unity, the Zangezur Corridor, and strategic projects under the 2022–2026 roadmap.
Ahead of the upcoming Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Summit in October, leading think tanks and regional experts from member and observer countries gathered in Baku for a high-level conference titled “OTS as a Regional Actor During Global Uncertainty.” The event focused on strengthening political, economic, and cultural cooperation among Turkic nations to collectively address regional challenges and increase the OTS’s global influence.
Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Center of Analysis of International Relations, stressed that growing unity among member states is shifting the geopolitical balance in the region. He noted that over the past two years, coordinated disinformation campaigns have targeted the OTS, especially amid developments in the Middle East. Shafiyev emphasized the importance of the think tank forum in crafting joint responses to such challenges and underscored the need for flexibility, given the complex geopolitical realities faced by Turkic countries.
OTS Deputy Secretary General Ömer Koçaman highlighted the organization’s ongoing strategic initiatives under its 2022–2026 roadmap. He pointed to key projects in areas such as the economy, transportation, tourism, media, and youth development. Koçaman underlined that shared history, language, and cultural ties remain at the core of the OTS’s strength and offer significant strategic value. He also emphasized the importance of innovation and adaptability as the organization encounters new ideas and changing global conditions.
The conference also addressed recent positive developments in the South Caucasus, particularly the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Participants noted that the peace talks could pave the way for new regional energy and transport links. Among these, the Zangezur Corridor was highlighted as a vital route that could enhance connectivity and stability across Turkic states, further solidifying regional integration and cooperation.
China and Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Tuesday aimed at coordinating defensive efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving no agreed international framework for securing the vital route.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it had stopped firing on northern Israel and Israeli forces on Wednesday as part of a two-week ceasefire in the Middle East brokered between the United States and Iran. However, a Hezbollah lawmaker warned that the pause could collapse if Tel Aviv does not adhere to it.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Iran and the United States, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate two-week ceasefire covering all areas, but Israel says the deal excludes Lebanon. Tel Aviv says the U.S. is committed to achieving shared goals in upcoming negotiations.
Recent U.S. complaints about NATO allies and threats to quit the alliance are pushing European countries to seek alternative security arrangements, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday.
A train driver has died and several passengers have been injured after a high-speed train collided with an army lorry carrying military equipment at a level crossing in northern France on Tuesday morning (7 April), the local prefecture and railway operators said in separate statements.
Israel launched its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since hostilities escalated last month, killing over 100 people, even as Hezbollah halted attacks under a disputed U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye aims to rank among the world’s top ten exporters of defence technology within the next two years.
As global attention centres on the conflict between Iran and the U.S., violence in Lebanon is intensifying, with Israeli strikes hitting residential areas, causing mounting civilian casualties and deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Uzbekistan and the U.S. are preparing to launch a joint investment platform by the end of the year, alongside the creation of a new bilateral business council aimed at strengthening economic cooperation.
More than 94,000 people have been displaced in Afghanistan since late February due to cross-border fighting, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said, while nearly 100,000 in Nuristan remain cut off from aid due to insecurity.
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