From new Asia-Europe trade routes to investment, energy and security cooperation, the Organization of Turkic States has grown far beyond its original focus on shared language and culture.
This week, senior officials, economists and policy researchers from member and observer states are meeting in Baku to discuss closer economic cooperation, with the Middle Corridor, trade, investment and digital transformation high on the agenda.
But what exactly is the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), what does membership offer, and how much influence does the organisation have?
The organisation was established in 2009 under the Nakhchivan Agreement as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, commonly known as the Turkic Council. It was renamed the Organization of Turkic States in 2021.
It has five full members: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan.
Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are observers, while the Economic Cooperation Organization also holds observer status.
The OTS now coordinates cooperation across dozens of areas, including foreign policy, trade, transport, energy, agriculture, education, health, migration and security.
The OTS is not an EU-style bloc. It does not pass laws that automatically apply in member states, create a common market or remove national borders.
Instead, members negotiate agreements and mechanisms designed to make trade, investment and movement between their economies easier.
A Simplified Customs Corridor aims to speed up the movement of goods through greater information-sharing, while members have also worked on electronic road permits and digital freight documents.
Transport has become one of the organisation’s biggest priorities, particularly the Middle Corridor, which connects China and Central Asia with Europe via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
Members are working to reduce logistical barriers and improve coordination between road, rail and maritime networks along the route.
Economic cooperation has also expanded through the Turkic Investment Fund, established with $600 million in authorised capital to support businesses and joint projects.
No. Unlike NATO, the OTS has no collective-defence clause requiring members to provide military assistance to another member if it is attacked.
It does, however, provide a platform for growing security cooperation, including on terrorism, organised crime and border security. Members have also created a civil protection mechanism to coordinate responses to natural disasters and other emergencies.
At the 2025 OTS summit in Gabala, leaders called for closer coordination on regional security and foreign policy.
The distinction is important: the OTS can strengthen cooperation between its members, but it does not provide the binding security guarantees associated with a military alliance.
Much of its potential comes from the economic weight and strategic geography of its members.
Figures presented at the Baku conference put the combined population of the member and observer economies covered by the analysis at 178.8 million, with a combined GDP of $2.11 trillion in 2025 and total trade turnover of $1.13 trillion.
Together, their territories span a strategically important route linking Central Asia, the Caspian region, the South Caucasus and Europe.
But the organisation’s power has limits. Decisions rely on cooperation between sovereign governments, and the OTS cannot force members to implement policies.
Its influence therefore depends heavily on whether political commitments turn into operational transport links, investment projects and practical agreements.
The organisation's Turkic World Vision 2040 sets out ambitions for deeper political coordination and economic integration while maintaining the sovereignty of its members.
Its immediate priorities are more concrete: expanding trade and investment, developing the Middle Corridor, improving energy and transport connectivity, digitalising trade and customs procedures and creating stronger regional value chains.
Those priorities are also at the heart of this week’s discussions in Baku, as the organisation seeks to turn expanding political cooperation into tangible economic integration.
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