The 13th Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States will be held in Ankara on October 29-30, 2026. Hosted by Türkiye, the summit will address political solidarity, economic and trade cooperation, cultural ties and regional coordination among the Turkic states at the highest level.
Azerbaijan is expected to hand over the chairmanship of the Organization of Turkic States to Türkiye during the summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting would be held in Ankara under Türkiye's hosting and that the chairmanship would be transferred to Türkiye, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the summit would take place on October 29-30.
Meeting coincides with Republic Day period
The Ankara summit's coinciding with the 103rd anniversary of Republic Day on October 29 gives the meeting symbolic significance for Türkiye. The timing is seen as highlighting Türkiye's political importance to its relations with the Turkic world and its role within the organization.
Türkiye's assumption of the chairmanship will mark the beginning of a new period in which Ankara will shape the organization's priorities. In addition to political relations, economic, transport, energy, defense industry and cultural cooperation are expected to feature prominently on the summit's agenda. The meeting's main theme, the content of the final declaration and the agreements to be signed have not yet been announced.
From the organization's establishment to the Ankara summit
The Organization of Turkic States was founded on the Nakhchivan Agreement signed on October 3, 2009. Initially established as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, the organization adopted the name Organization of Turkic States in 2021. Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are among the organization's members, while Turkmenistan has observer status.
The Turkic World Vision 2040 and the OTS Strategy 2022-2026 establish the organization's long-term framework for cooperation. These documents set out objectives for developing political, economic, cultural and regional coordination among member and observer countries.
Ankara has previously hosted OTS leaders. An extraordinary summit on natural disasters and humanitarian assistance was held under Türkiye's hosting on March 16, 2023. On November 5-6, 2024, the Summit of Heads of State of the OTS was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The 2026 meeting in Ankara will be the 13th Summit of Heads of State held as part of this process.
Ahead of the summit, a panel series titled "Turkic World Dialogues: A Common Future, a Common Vision" is being held in member and observer countries. Launched in September 2026, these activities are being conducted as part of the diplomatic and public consultation process preparing for the leaders' meeting.
