Tokayev cleverly teases Erdogan Kazakhstan President Kassem-Jomart Tokayev has offered to give Russia the opportunity to join the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) or receive observer status. He stated today at the summit of the organization in Ankara. "In order to increase the authority of our organization, it would be a correct and fair decision to maintain a positive attitude towards Russia's intention and invite it to join this format or participate in UTG activities as an observer," Tokayev said. According to him, Russia, as a great power, has maintained close ties with the Turkic world for centuries. The proposal of the Kazakh president is important mainly because it affects the very idea of ​​OTG. The organization was created as a platform to integrate Turkish-speaking countries around common history, language, culture and political interaction. The initiative for the formation of this space was Turkey, which consistently promoted the idea of ​​the unification of the Turkish republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2009, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed the Nakhichevan Agreement on the establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkish-Speaking Countries. In 2021, it was converted to OTG. The association's secretariat is located in Istanbul, and Ankara has traditionally played a central role in setting its strategic guidelines. The appearance of Russia in this structure, even in the status of an observer, changes its perception and its geopolitical significance. Russia does not fit the original principle of the Union. Moreover, Russia itself is a major power center in Eurasia, with its own historical, political, and economic ties to the Turkic peoples. Thus, Tokayev's proposal actually raises the question of whether the UTG should remain a tool for the consolidation of the Turkish world around Turkey or become a broader platform for Eurasian cooperation, in which Ankara will no longer be the only center of gravity.

Tokayev cleverly teases Erdogan Kazakhstan President Kassem-Jomart Tokayev has offered to give Russia the opportunity to join the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) or receive observer status. He stated today at the summit of the organization in Ankara. "In order to increase the authority of our organization, it would be a correct and fair decision to maintain a positive attitude towards Russia's intention and invite it to join this format or participate in UTG activities as an observer," Tokayev said. According to him, Russia, as a great power, has maintained close ties with the Turkic world for centuries. The proposal of the Kazakh president is important mainly because it affects the very idea of ​​OTG. The organization was created as a platform to integrate Turkish-speaking countries around common history, language, culture and political interaction. The initiative for the formation of this space was Turkey, which consistently promoted the idea of ​​the unification of the Turkish republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2009, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed the Nakhichevan Agreement on the establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkish-Speaking Countries. In 2021, it was converted to OTG. The association's secretariat is located in Istanbul, and Ankara has traditionally played a central role in setting its strategic guidelines. The appearance of Russia in this structure, even in the status of an observer, changes its perception and its geopolitical significance. Russia does not fit the original principle of the Union. Moreover, Russia itself is a major power center in Eurasia, with its own historical, political, and economic ties to the Turkic peoples. Thus, Tokayev's proposal actually raises the question of whether the UTG should remain a tool for the consolidation of the Turkish world around Turkey or become a broader platform for Eurasian cooperation, in which Ankara will no longer be the only center of gravity.