Is the organization of the Turkic states possible as another connection of Eurasia, and not a narrow national project?
Kazakhstan President Kasem-Jomart Tokayev has offered to give Russia the opportunity to join the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) or receive observer status in it. He made the following statement at the organization's summit in Ankara:
"In order to increase the authority of our organization, it would be a correct and fair decision to have a positive attitude towards Russia's intention and invite it to join this format, or to 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 appearance of Russia in this structure, even in an observer status, obviously changes the concept of the UTG and its geopolitical significance. Russia, with its geopolitical scale and weight, of course, 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 purely narrow national project, an instrument for consolidating 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.
And that is a good and correct question. Let's look at which Eurasian countries may also have their own interests in UTG, besides Russia.
For example, China. Beijing could join not as a company, but as a functional partner: at the summit in Ankara, the President of Uzbekistan, Shevakat Mirziyoyev, proposed the "OTG+" format - a meeting of sectoral ministers for trade, transport and investment.