At the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) held in Gabala on 7 October 2025, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, delivered a speech emphasizing key aspects of cooperation among Turkic states and Turkmenistan’s role in promoting peace, stability, and cultural ties.
Highlighting the complex global political landscape, he stressed the importance of coordinated efforts to strengthen peace and trust. He recalled that, at Turkmenistan’s initiative, the UN General Assembly declared 2025 the “International Year of Peace and Trust” and invited participants to the International Forum in Ashgabat on 12 December, dedicated to this milestone and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s neutrality.
Berdimuhamedov underscored Turkmenistan’s commitment to enhancing multilateral and bilateral cooperation with OTS member states, focusing on mutually beneficial ties rooted in equality, mutual respect, and strategic partnership. To achieve long-term goals, Turkmenistan actively pursues major projects in energy, transport, logistics, communications, and other strategically significant areas at regional and international levels.
Speech of the National Leader of the Turkmen People at the 12th OTS Summit
Esteemed President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev! Esteemed Heads of State and Government! Esteemed Summit Participants!
First and foremost, I express my sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, my dear brother Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev, for the invitation to this high-level meeting and for the warm hospitality extended to us!
The Organization of Turkic States represents an international framework uniting our fraternal peoples, built on the shared foundation of their history, culture, spiritual heritage, and language. Its primary goal is to strengthen unity, bonds of friendship, and brotherhood among the countries of the Turkic world, while coordinating joint efforts and actions on regional and international levels.
Today, the global community is undergoing a challenging period in its development, making the coordination of our states’ actions on the international stage critically important. One of our primary tasks is to promote peace, stability, and trust globally.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to remind you that, at Turkmenistan’s initiative, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2025 the “International Year of Peace and Trust.” With great respect, I invite you all to the upcoming International Forum in Ashgabat on December 12, 2025, to mark this significant event and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s neutrality.
Dear Brothers! Esteemed Summit Participants!
We consistently emphasize that our culture, language, traditions, and customs are unified, rooted in historical reality. Our ancestors established states that left a profound mark on world history, contributing immensely to the development of culture, trade, and governance practices. The political legacy of the Turkmen people, whose lineage traces back to the Oguz, holds particular significance.
Over the centuries, the Turkmen people, alongside other fraternal nations, have traversed a remarkable historical path, not only upholding the principles, traditions, and customs of statehood but also making substantial contributions to expanding relations, cultural exchange, and the establishment of various trade routes across the Eurasian space.
It is also worth noting that, over the centuries, the peoples of our states maintained political, economic, and cultural ties. A prime example is the Great Silk Road. Its main routes, stretching from China through our fraternal countries to Europe, connected diverse cultures, worldviews, and economic realities, enabling the peoples of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe to exchange knowledge, traditions, customs, and spiritual values.
Dear Brothers! Esteemed Heads of State and Government!
Turkmenistan places great importance on strengthening multilateral and bilateral cooperation with the member states of the Organization of Turkic States, making significant efforts to enhance and enrich mutually beneficial ties based on equality, mutual respect, and strategic partnership. To achieve these noble and long-term goals, Turkmenistan actively promotes and implements major projects in energy, transport, logistics, communications, and other strategically significant areas at regional and international levels.
Dear Brothers! Esteemed Summit Participants!
In the framework of relations among Turkic states, a special role is assigned to cultural and humanitarian cooperation, which is vital for preserving, developing, and promoting the unique national characteristics and spiritual values of our peoples. We propose intensifying efforts to hold joint cultural events, such as Days of Culture, theatrical performances, exhibitions, and film screenings.
Soon, we plan to hold Days of Turkmenistan’s Culture in Azerbaijan. Efforts are also underway to promote the traditions of carpet weaving of our two peoples and to foster cooperation in reviving the ancient art of breeding Akhal-Teke and Karabakh horses. We are confident that these initiatives will significantly advance cultural relations. We consider it appropriate to hold similar events with other fraternal states.
We also deem it necessary to focus on expanding academic exchanges in science and education, establishing student scholarship programs, and collaborating on the study of our peoples’ historical and cultural heritage.
In the field of sports and physical education, organizing international tournaments and training events among our countries, as well as implementing programs to promote physical activity among youth, would be beneficial.
Following the ancestral legacy of fostering friendship and brotherhood, Turkmenistan is always ready for more constructive and closer cooperation with all member states of the Organization of Turkic States to achieve the noble goals outlined and address the important tasks before us.
Dear Brothers!
In conclusion, I wish you strong health and great success in your work, and to the fraternal peoples of the Turkic states—prosperity, well-being, and a peaceful, happy life!