Hosted by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, the Twelfth Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 7 October 2025 in Gabala under the theme “Regional Peace and Security.”
The Summit gathered the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, H.E. Sadyr Zhaparov; the President of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev; the Prime Minister of Hungary, H.E. Viktor Orbán; the National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, H.E. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov; the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, H.E. Ersin Tatar; and the Secretary General of the OTS, H.E. 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.
Prior to the Summit, the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OTS convened to finalize the documents to be submitted for signature by the Heads of State and to discuss key issues on the Organization’s agenda.
Held against the backdrop of the historic Joint Declaration between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia signed on 8 August 2025 in Washington D.C., the Leaders welcomed this milestone 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.
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. The Leaders also underscored the significance of further reinforcing the roles of Turkic Cooperation Organizations.
In his address, the Secretary General of the OTS, H.E. Ambassador 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 the Kyrgyz Republic to the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Heads of State expressed deep appreciation to the Kyrgyz Chairmanship for its successful tenure—during which more than 120 eventswere organized in differerent fields—and extended best wishes to the incoming Azerbaijani Chairmanship for a fruitful and productive term.
The Leaders agreed that the next Regular Summit of the OTS will be held in Türkiye in fall 2026, while the Informal Summit will be hosted by Kazakhstan in 2026.
On the occasion of the Summit Leaders of the Member States and Observers as well as the Secretary General attended the live online ceremony laying the foundation stone for a mosque to be built in Fuzuli by Turkmenistan.
Following the Summit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Jeyhun Bayramov, and the Secretary General of the OTS, H.E. Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev, gave statements to the media representatives on the outcomes and key decisions adopted during the Gabala Summit.
