The 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (TDT) ended with the heads of state adopting the 163-item Ankara Declaration. Türkiye, which took over the organization's rotating presidency from Azerbaijan, will hold the position until the next summit.
The declaration decided to explore the possibility of establishing a TDT Defense Industry College hosted by Türkiye, and encouraged the relevant institutions of member states and the TDT Secretariat to work on the matter. It also called for accelerating consultations on establishing the TDT Cybersecurity Council and the process of signing a cybersecurity memorandum of understanding.
The declaration called for continuing negotiations on a draft agreement to facilitate services and investments in the economy, digitalizing trade and speeding up customs procedures. It proposed that the Turkic Investment Fund support transport, industry, agriculture and SME projects.
In transport, the declaration reaffirmed the development of the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor and the use of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway at full capacity, while supporting the Zangezur Corridor and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway projects. It emphasized the strategic importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor in energy.
The declaration called for a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus issue and supported efforts to guarantee the equal rights of the Turkish Cypriot people. For Gaza, it called for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and a two-state solution.
The declaration also included a proposal to explore creating special passenger lanes at international airports for citizens of member states, consult on counting footballers from member states as “non-foreign players” in one another’s leagues, and organize a “Turkic Cup” among national teams. It stated that production of the joint CubeSat TDT-SAT had been completed.
The 14th TDT Summit will be held in Uzbekistan in 2027, while Kyrgyzstan will host an informal summit in the same year. The declaration thanked Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev, who served during the 2022-2026 period, and wished success to the new Secretary-General Mirvokhid Azimov.
