The National Interest (13 January 2026)

Luke COFFEY

The Organization of Turkic States is quickly becoming a crucial mode of engagement in the Central Asian region.

Last month, the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, Kubanychbek Omuraliev, arrived in the United States for a series of meetings with US government officials. Regrettably, the visit did not receive the attention it deserved. If the United States wants to be competitive in this era of great power competition, then groupings like the Organization of Turkic States need to be engaged with far more seriously.

What Is the Organization of Turkic States?

The Organization of Turkic States is an intergovernmental body connecting the various ethnic Turkic countries of Eurasia to promote a shared identity, culture, and aligned geopolitical interests.

The original idea to establish the body emerged in 2006, when then-Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev first proposed closer cooperation among Turkic states. Three years later, the Turkic Council—the predecessor to today’s organization—was established by Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan. In 2019, Uzbekistan joined as a full member. In 2021, the current name under which it is known today was adopted. In addition to the five member states, Turkmenistan, Hungary, and the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus participate as observers.

To read the rest of the article, please click: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/silk-road-rivalries/why-the-us-must-include-the-organization-of-turkic-states-in-its-central-asia-policy