For Azerbaijan, the Organisation of Turkic States is no longer simply a forum for cultural affinity. It is becoming an instrument through which Baku can deepen economic connectivity, reinforce political coordination and give greater weight to the voice of Turkic states in a more fragmented international system. Looking at the history of its birth and development, we can say that the organisation's transformation is significant.
The OTS was established in 2009 by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye, with Uzbekistan becoming a full member in 2019. Turkmenistan, Hungary and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus subsequently joined as observers. What began as institutional cooperation among Turkic-speaking states has expanded into politics, transport, trade, security, education, culture and investment.
That evolution matters to Azerbaijan because its foreign policy increasingly depends on connectivity. The Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor links China and Central Asia with the South Caucasus and Türkiye, placing Azerbaijan at a strategic intersection of Eurasian trade routes. At the 2024 informal OTS summit in Shusha, members explicitly called for deeper transport integration and greater use of the Middle Corridor.
Moreover, the political dimension of the organisations has indeed expanded if we simply look at the previous year. The 2025 Gabala Summit, hosted by Azerbaijan, was held under the theme “Regional Peace and Security” and produced decisions aimed at deepening cooperation in foreign policy, security, economics and people-to-people relations. The summit also established an OTS+ format for cooperation with external partners.
So, we can confidently say that this is the practical side of Turkic solidarity for Baku. The OTS doesn't remain an international intergovernmental entity uniting political coherence, but its historical foundation remains important. Azerbaijan-Türkiye relations, in particular, are rooted in a shared history of political struggle and statehood.
The liberation of Baku in September 1918, with the decisive involvement of the Ottoman Islamic Army of the Caucasus, remains part of Azerbaijan’s national historical memory. But today's relationship extends far beyond history. For instance, it forms one of the principal political and strategic foundations of the wider Turkic cooperation framework.
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