Ankara is preparing to host the 13th Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Summit on Thursday and Friday to assess progress and cooperation in trade, investment, energy, digital infrastructure and space.
Organised under the theme “Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought, and Deed,” the event will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Cooperation among member states spans a wide range of areas, including transport, digital technologies, agriculture and space.
Türkiye will assume the OTS' rotating presidency from Azerbaijan, and participating leaders are expected to adopt the Ankara Declaration at the summit, along with other agreements to deepen institutional cooperation.
Digital cooperation will be the central focus, as Türkiye has recently become the third country after Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan to ratify a digital economy partnership agreement to facilitate e-commerce and cross-border data activities.
Technical collaboration between OTS member states continues to expand to encompass new areas, including a project to establish a joint digital agriculture data platform and a framework agreement signed at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) to coordinate a joint CubeSat project.
Ahead of the event, the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) will host the Turkic World Business and Investment Forum on Wednesday to focus on the Middle Corridor, border logistics and customs.
Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedow will meet with the Turkish business community on Friday.
Türkiye's diplomatic ties with other OTS member states are deepening amid growing economic relations.
Türkiye's annual trade volume with full member states, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, totalled $17 billion last year, comprising $9.6 billion in exports and $7.3 billion in imports.
Türkiye achieved and maintained net exporter status with the member states, as exports rose from $6.2 billion against $4.2 billion in imports in 2021 to $6.9 billion against $6.2 billion in 2022, $8.8 billion against $6.4 billion in 2023 and $10 billion against $6.5 billion in 2024.
Kazakhstan was the largest Turkish export destination in 2025, with $3.2 billion, followed by Azerbaijan with $3 billion, Uzbekistan with $2.1 billion and Kyrgyzstan with $1.3 billion.
From January to August 2026, Türkiye's exports to full OTS member states reached $6.1 billion against $5.4 billion in imports, led by $2 billion in exports to Kazakhstan, $1.9 billion to Azerbaijan, $1.3 billion to Uzbekistan and $832.8 million to Kyrgyzstan.
The OTS continues to expand with observers such as Turkmenistan, Hungary, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
