Hosted by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 7 October 2025 in Gabala under the theme “Regional Peace and Security.”
- Kazakhstan – the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev;
- Kyrgyzstan – the President Sadyr Japarov;
- Türkiye – the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan;
- Uzbekistan – the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev;
- Hungary – the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán;
- Turkmenistan – the National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov;
- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – the President Ersin Tatar;
- The Secretary General of the OTS, Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev.
The Chairman and Members of the Council of Elders of the OTS, as well as the Heads of the Turkic Cooperation Organizations, were also in attendance.
During the summit, the leaders welcomed the Joint Declaration between Azerbaijan and Armenia signed in August in Washington D.C., as a major step toward lasting peace, stability, and prosperity in the South Caucasus and beyond.
The Heads of State reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the shared vision of a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Turkic World. They emphasized the importance of deepening cooperation in political affairs, foreign policy, security, economy, and people-to-people relations under the OTS framework.
In his address, the Secretary General of the OTS Kubanychbek Omuraliev, noted that the Organization now coordinates multilateral cooperation in over 40 sectors, ranging from economic integration and security to education, innovation, and space. He highlighted that this growing dynamism reflects the increasing convergence among Member States and the rising international recognition of the OTS.
At the conclusion of the Summit, the Chairmanship-in-Office of the Organization was transferred from Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan.
During the Kyrgyz Chairmanship over 120 events were organized in different fields.
The Summit participants attended the live online ceremony laying the foundation stone for a mosque to be built in Fuzuli by Turkmenistan.
Key Decisions Adopted at the Gabala Summit
Documents signed by the Heads of State:
- Declaration of the Twelfth Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (Gabala Declaration);
- Decision on the Establishment of the “OTS+” Format as a flexible framework for cooperation with external partners in areas of mutual interest;
- Decision on the Development and Strengthening of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY).
The inclusion of Turkmenistan as an Observer in both the Turkic Academy and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation marked an important step in strengthening the institutional framework of Turkic cooperation.
Future Summits
The 13th Summit of the OTS will be held in Türkiye in fall 2026 and the Informal Summit in 2026 – in Kazakhstan (Turkestan).
Gabala Declaration – Key points
The key points highlighted in the Declaration:
Political, Security, and Foundational Principles
- Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity: Member States emphasize their commitment to respect for and support of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of international state borders, as well as the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, in accordance with universally recognized international law.
- Turkic World Identity: The Declaration reaffirms recognition of the Turkic World as a united family, bound by shared ethnic roots, history, language, culture, traditions, and values.
- Strategic Partnership Treaty: Calls for expediting the consideration of the draft “Treaty on Strategic Partnership, Eternal Friendship and Brotherhood of Turkic States” which is intended to reinforce the cooperation framework.
- Countering Threats: Reaffirms commitment to strengthen cooperation to combat all forms and manifestations of terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime, and cyber security risks.
- Gaza Situation: Expresses deep concern over the worsening catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Declaration calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access.
Economic, Energy, and Connectivity Cooperation
- Turkic Investment Fund (TIF): Commends the institutional progress of the TIF and expresses strong interest in the prompt and practical launch of the Fund, highlighting its strategic potential to catalyze regional development and foreign investments.
- Trade and Investment Facilitation: Welcomes the launch of negotiations on the “Agreement on Services and Investment Facilitation for Sustainable Development between the Governments of the Member States of the OTS”.
- Green Energy Corridor: Acknowledges the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan aimed at establishing the Central Asia–Azerbaijan Green Energy Corridor for exports to Europe, and encourages other members to explore participation.
- Transport Corridors: Reaffirms commitment to enhancing regional connectivity, with particular emphasis on the digital integration of the Trans-Caspian International East-West Middle Corridor. The Declaration also expresses support for the ongoing efforts to operationalize and develop the Zangazur Corridor.
- Space Cooperation: Encourages accelerating the process of manufacturing and launching the 12U OTS-SAT Cube Satellite under the OTS flag, scheduled for 2026.
Cultural, Humanitarian, and Institutional Issues
- TRNC Observer Status: Welcomes the granting of Observer Status to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) at the Turkic Academy.
- Cultural Heritage: Instructs relevant national bodies to finalize preparations for the Joint Museum Card, aimed at enhancing access to cultural heritage sites and strengthening shared identity.
- Significant Anniversaries: Calls on Turkic countries to duly celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Baku Turkology Congress of 1926 and the adoption of a common Latin-based alphabet for the Turkic languages.
- Tourism Capital: Welcomes the designation of Ankara as the “Turkic World Tourism Capital – 2026”.
- Youth Capital: Welcomes the designation of Almaty as the “Youth Capital of the Turkic World 2025”.