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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit in Ankara on Friday that there is "no room for separation, division or discord" in the Turkic world, as Türkiye took over the bloc’s rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not attend the 13th summit, with Azerbaijan represented by its foreign minister, amid recent tensions between Ankara and Baku over Azerbaijan’s ban on headscarves in schools.
"There is no room for separation, division or discord in the family photo of the Turkic world. We are all one, we are together, and Allah willing, we are brothers from eternity to eternity," the Turkish president said at the Council of Heads of State meeting at the Presidential Complex.
"Today, as Türkiye, we are taking over our organization’s term presidency from Azerbaijan," President Erdogan said, adding, "I extend my congratulations on behalf of our organization to our Azerbaijani brothers for their efforts during their term presidency."
The summit theme, "Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Deed," was inspired by Ismail Gaspirali, he said.
"Unity in language means keeping our common treasure alive, developing it and understanding each other without intermediaries. Unity in thought means rallying around common goals and developing a joint strategy. Unity in deed means turning our words into action, our will into works and our decisions into results," he said.
He added that Türkiye aims to make progress during its chairmanship in spreading a common language, supporting cultural events including sports and easing travel among member states.
Aliyev reportedly skipped the summit, citing a previously scheduled appearance at the closing ceremony of the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijani media reported.
Relations have been strained since Azerbaijan banned headscarves in primary and secondary schools last month, triggering protests and criticism in Türkiye. On Oct. 25, President Erdogan dismissed chief presidential adviser Oktay Saral, who had criticized the decision, in an effort described as "to ease tensions."
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"We support the contacts our Azerbaijani brothers are conducting with Armenia, and we will continue to contribute to lasting peace," President Erdogan stated.
"Our hope is that the recently renewed tension with Iran will be channeled into diplomacy instead of weapons," he added.
"We must continue to support the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," the Turkish president said, calling on Turkic states to help deliver aid to Gaza and start reconstruction.
He said he believed the organization would increase contacts with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and expressed hope to see Turkmenistan as a full member soon.
"The Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor is a strategic line that will shape the trade of tomorrow," Erdogan said, adding that a cybersecurity cooperation memorandum should be signed as soon as possible.
He said speeding up a joint satellite project remains a priority and called for a common digital trade platform and contributions to a Great Turkic Language Model covering the Oghuz, Kipchak and Karluk language groups.
The Organization of Turkic States’ members are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, while Turkmenistan, Hungary, the TRNC and the Economic Cooperation Organization hold observer status.
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