AKP skeptical about the prospect of Russia's representation in the OTS

Kürşad Zorlu, deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) responsible for relations with Turkic states, is skeptical about the prospect of Russia being represented in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) as an observer.

Earlier, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed considering the question of granting Russia observer status or participation in the "OTS+" format. The Kremlin assessed this proposal positively.

"Undoubtedly, millions of people live in Russia with whom we are connected by common historical and ethnic roots. We have very deep cultural ties with many regions — with Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Yakutia. In this respect, having a cultural dialogue with Russia is absolutely natural."

At the same time, according to him, only those states in which one of the Turkic or related languages is recognized as a state language or an official language of administration throughout the entire country, rather than in a particular region of it, can apply for observer status in the OTS.

Noting that the "OTS+" cooperation model mentioned by Tokayev is aimed at a flexible platform for interaction with third countries, Zorlu said: "If such a request is received, this issue will certainly be duly considered with the consent of all member states, taking into account the strategic goals of the Organization and the common interests of the Turkic world."

In this context, Zorlu put forward an alternative proposal: "Under the aegis of the OTS we have affiliated international organizations, such as TURKSOY and the Turkic Academy. Republics within the Russian Federation such as Altai, Tyva, Chuvashia, Bashkortostan, Yakutia and Tatarstan are observers of this organization. However, in 2015, by decision of the Russian Federation, the cooperation of these republics with TURKSOY was effectively frozen. Since then, no meetings or events have been held. Now I propose: let us reconsider this frozen situation in TURKSOY and breathe new life into cultural cooperation, which is one of the strongest partnerships of both sides."

Source: Haber7