Uzbekistan will host the next summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in 2027, following the 13th meeting of the organization’s Council of Heads of State in Ankara on October 30. The summit also endorsed Uzbekistan’s nominee, Mirvokhid Azimov, for the position of OTS secretary-general.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the summit, held under the theme “The Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought, and Action,” alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and OTS Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev also participated.

The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation among member states and addressing regional and international developments.

In his address, Mirziyoyev called for closer coordination among Turkic countries amid changing international relations, intensifying geopolitical competition, and conflicts affecting the region’s security and development prospects.

He proposed introducing an “OTS Plus” format to expand cooperation with third countries through sector-specific ministerial meetings and regular political consultations on international and regional issues.

Mirziyoyev also called for the adoption of a “Turkic World – 100” program, which would bring together 100 strategic investment and industrial projects. The proposed areas include rare earth mineral processing and the localization of green energy equipment, with financing expected from the Turkic Investment Fund and international financial institutions.

Other initiatives included establishing a multilateral agreement on mutual legal assistance in commercial matters, supported by a digital platform for exchanging legal requests and documents.

To strengthen regional connectivity, the president proposed creating a joint network of logistics complexes operated by Turkic states to expand their participation in international freight transportation and develop the Middle Corridor into an integrated economic system.

In tourism, Mirziyoyev called for establishing a Turkic Tourism Alliance and simplifying travel between member states, including expanding the use of national ID cards for cross-border trips.

He also announced that Uzbekistan would provide annual educational grants to young people from Turkic countries under the New Uzbekistan Scholarship program for foreign students.

Another proposal was to develop a common Turkic dictionary containing words shared across the languages of Turkic peoples, reflecting the summit’s focus on linguistic and cultural unity.

The meeting also welcomed the initiative to designate 2027 as the Year of Nature Protection. Mirziyoyev expressed appreciation for the support of the proposal and noted that the Alisher Navoi International Award had been presented to Kazakh cultural figure Dusen Kasseinov.

The summit concluded with the adoption of the Ankara Declaration and several documents aimed at expanding cooperation among OTS member states.