Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are being drawn into the “Turkic NATO” under the auspices of Ankara
Kyrgyzstan proposed that Azerbaijan create, by analogy with NATO, a military-defense bloc of Turkic-speaking countries. The Azerbaijani resource haqqin.az writes about this. However, officials in Bishkek and Baku do not comment on this information.
The publication recalls that the idea of creating a “Turkic NATO” is not new - under the name “Army of Turan” it has been repeatedly discussed in expert circles of the countries involved.
“So, against the backdrop of the transformation of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) from a forum of countries with common roots, similar language and culture into a new regional political-economic alliance, this development of events would definitely not come as a surprise,” the publication says.
The publication suggests that this idea was raised within the framework of the international conference on the topic “Organization of Turkic states: towards new strategic goals against the backdrop of geopolitical realities and global cataclysms,” held on May 15 in Shusha, recently recaptured from the Karabakh separatists and organized by the ruling Yeni party in Azerbaijan Azerbaijan" (the local analogue of United Russia).
This event was attended by experts and leaders of political parties, as well as official representatives of the UTC member countries.
The Baku publication quotes Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's address to conference participants: "In the context of gross violations of international law and double standards based on selective approaches, the implementation of policies aimed at protecting national interests and responding to existing challenges is one of the main tasks of independent states."
Aliyev called the Organization of Turkic States “a structure that has recently been confidently moving towards new strategic goals and is becoming a center of growing power in world politics with increasing international authority and opportunities for geopolitical influence.”
Kazakhstan is also trying to fit into this unifying model. "President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that in the current circumstances, the primary focus in ensuring global security, stability, and sustainable development lies with 'middle powers.' Based on the principles of diplomacy and partnership, 'middle powers' must unite to address the global challenges facing humanity ," the publication quotes Daulet Karibek, Executive Secretary of Kazakhstan's AMANAT party, as saying at the panel session "The Organization of Turkic States: Regional Contribution to Global Security." He praised President Tokayev's initiatives in the region.
“As we see, the political circles of the Turkic-speaking countries realize the importance of closer cooperation in the field of security. It is quite possible that in the near future the idea of creating a new military-political alliance on the basis of the Organization of Turkic States, similar to NATO, will be officially submitted for discussion,” the Azerbaijani publication summarizes.
The publication contains a reminder that the next informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States is planned to be held in Shusha in early July.
We have previously cited the opinion of the authors of the authoritative American analytical publication The National Interest that, against the background of the weakening of Russia’s positions in the Central Asian region, Ankara’s influence there is growing,
“An increasingly confident Turkey is challenging Russia in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, two regions that Moscow firmly considers part of its exclusive sphere of influence essential to its perceived great power status. Using Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus as a gateway, Turkey is expanding its influence into the Turkic-speaking states of Central Asia on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Trans-Caspian dynamics are emerging under the auspices of the Turkic bloc of cooperation, covering such diverse areas as security, trade and culture,” notes The National Interest.
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are being drawn into a "Turkic NATO" under the auspices of Ankara.