Day: October 13, 2025

The Twelfth Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on October 6–7, 2025, in Gabala, Azerbaijan, under the theme “Regional Peace and Security,” and was hosted by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Attending the summit were Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Sadyr Japarov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey; Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan; and Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, participating as an observer. Turkmenistan, represented by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, represented by Ersin Tatar, also attended the summit as observer members.

Among the central topics discussed was support for the Joint Declaration signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia on August 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The OTS member states regard this declaration as an important step toward lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus. The summit also emphasized the need for a collective Turkic effort to sustain peace in the region.

In his address, President Aliyev noted that one of the outcomes of the Washington Summit was progress on the Zangezur Corridor, describing it as a new transportation route of great importance within both the Middle Corridor and the North–South Corridor. Speaking before the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had countered the use of the term “Zangezur Corridor,” which does not appear in the signed documents and was never used in negotiations. Despite these objections, however, Aliyev again used the term at the OTS Summit, reaffirming his intention to move forward under that framework. The New York meeting on September 22, 2025, between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, where both sides agreed to continue dialogue based on the outcomes of the Washington Declaration, has been widely considered a constructive step toward normalization of relations between the two parties.

Another highlight of the summit was President Erdoğan’s call to develop the ‘Turkish Large Language Model.’

“To catch up with global developments in artificial intelligence and to preserve our cultural richness, we need to accelerate the development of the Turkish Large Language Model,” Erdoğan said. “[In] Türkiye, we are taking the first step on the common alphabet issue by printing a work about Chingiz Aitmatov and the Oghuznames in the common alphabet. Today, we are also presenting a copy of this to the leaders.”

The initiative reflects the vision for greater cultural, scientific, and digital integration among Turkic states, and it was included as part of the broader digital transformation and innovation agenda outlined in the Gabala Declaration, which followed the summit.

Kazakh President Tokayev described the Organization of Turkic States as an “authoritative structure uniting friendly Turkic peoples,” capable of addressing shared challenges, and expressed support for establishing an “OTS+” format to expand cooperation and global visibility. President Aliyev, meanwhile, highlighted growing military collaboration between Azerbaijan and Turkey, referencing more than 25 joint exercises held within one year – although this figure has not been independently verified. He invited member states to hold a joint military exercise in Azerbaijan in 2026 as a step toward deeper defense integration.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed regular joint meetings of OTS foreign ministers and heads of intelligence to strengthen institutional coordination, suggesting that the first such meeting take place in Samarkand. He also called for a development strategy extending to 2030 focused on industrial cooperation, transportation, and innovation, emphasizing artificial intelligence and the digital economy as key engines of growth.

The Gabala Declaration underlined cooperation in artificial intelligence, green energy, digital transformation, financial integration, and logistics infrastructure. Economic initiatives such as the Turkic Investment Fund and the OTS Investment Portal were emphasized for market integration, while transport projects such as the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway, the Trans-Caspian International East–West Middle Corridor, and the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway were reaffirmed as vital for strengthening inter-regional connectivity.

The Gabala Summit thus marked a significant turning point for the OTS, producing concrete proposals on peace, economic integration, transportation, digital transformation, and defense cooperation. The organization continues to address structural issues inherited from the Soviet era – such as borders, water management, and transit – through dialogue and partnership rather than confrontation. This collaborative approach has strengthened mutual trust and contributed to regional stability.

Economically, OTS initiatives have expanded intra-Turkic trade and investment cooperation, reducing dependence on external markets and fostering greater self-reliance. The organization’s growing engagement with regional and international partners has accelerated Central Asia’s integration with global markets, transforming the OTS from a regional entity into a constructive actor in Eurasian cooperation.

Finally, the proposal by President Tokayev to develop the “OTS+” format and the participation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an observer both reflect the organization’s expanding strategic reach. The inclusion of Northern Cyprus also carries symbolic importance for the Turkic world’s cohesion and the pursuit of stability across the Mediterranean.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the publication, its affiliates, or any other organizations mentioned.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has postponed his State of the Union address, originally scheduled for Tuesday, following the government’s failure to reach a timely budget agreement, reports 24brussels.

De Wever was set to present his address to the Chamber of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon, marking the opening of the parliamentary year. However, after extensive budget talks concluded without agreement on Monday, government sources indicated that the address has been delayed by up to one week.

The budget negotiations between De Wever and his deputy prime ministers have proven challenging, with Belgium facing a projected deficit of 39 billion euros by 2029. Following the difficult round of talks, De Wever made a brief statement to the press, asserting, “A budget is not a scrap of paper.”

The State of the Union address typically includes a policy statement based on the budget and is traditionally held on the second Tuesday in October. The inner cabinet aims to secure a budget agreement by the start of next week at the latest.

‘Downright embarrassing’

Over the next few years, the federal government must implement budget savings totalling at least 10 billion euros, according to De Wever’s remarks last week. Opposition party Groen expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government’s inability to reach an agreement in a timely manner.

“If you only start such difficult budget talks just before the deadline, it’s no surprise that you run out of time,” stated Stefaan Van Hecke, leader of the Groen parliamentary group. “The prime minister should have started this much earlier. This is downright embarrassing.”

Van Hecke further indicated that he hopes the governing parties will “reflect” on the proposals already made over the next week. “The information that has been leaked so far suggests the worst. It seems that this is turning into a brutal round of cuts that will hit ordinary people extremely hard,” he warned.

EU deadline

This postponement likely means that Belgium will miss an important European deadline. Eurozone countries must submit their draft budget plans for 2026 to the European Commission by Wednesday.

Despite this setback, De Standaard reports that Belgium is not overly anxious about missing the deadline. “Europe too is better off with a good agreement than a quick agreement,” government sources told the newspaper.

^{Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}