Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the secretaries of the security councils of member states of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). Secretary-General of Türkiye’s National Security Council Okay Memiş also attended the meeting.
Aliyev said the leaders of OTS member states share a common view on strengthening the organization’s role and influence internationally. Noting that internationally significant energy and transport routes and corridors pass through the OTS region, Aliyev stressed the importance of energy security and the security of transport links.
Emphasis on stability in OTS countries
Aliyev said the countries of the Turkic world hold a priority place on Azerbaijan’s bilateral agenda and stated that he views the Turkic world as a “family.” He said it was a major advantage that the OTS brings together countries with common ethnic roots, adding that there are not many organizations of this kind in the world.
Aliyev said one of the fundamental elements in the OTS’s development was the existence of stability, peace and security in the territories of its member states. He said investment, technology and innovation would not come to countries lacking political and economic stability, and stated that stability and security were among the key conditions for development.
Aliyev said the OTS countries were experiencing secure economic growth, adding that increased industrial production across the organization’s broad geography, economic indicators and stable financial systems pointed to positive momentum. He said public order had been established in member states and various terrorist threats were being kept under control, but stressed that this should not lead to complacency.
Aliyev warns of risk that conflicts could spread
Aliyev said wars were continuing in neighboring regions and that it was not known when they would end, adding that the geography of the conflicts was expanding. Pointing to countries at war to Azerbaijan’s north and south, Aliyev said this made regional security even more important.
Aliyev said threats were not only physical but also ideological, and called for joint action against ideological provocations targeting countries and peoples. He alleged that some media outlets were financed by certain centers and claimed that these structures sought to weaken state institutions, undermine social solidarity and promote the adoption of foreign narratives.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan was fighting such efforts and stated that the OTS should be made one of the leading international organizations through joint efforts.
Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations
Aliyev said Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations had a special place and role, noting that the ties between the two countries were based on numerous elements, including history, culture, political interests, security, energy, transport and relations between their peoples.
Aliyev said joint activities by Türkiye and Azerbaijan strengthened stability in the region and the world under current geopolitical conditions. Describing the Shusha Declaration, which he signed with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Shusha in 2021, as the pinnacle of relations between the two countries, Aliyev said the declaration formalized the alliance between them.
Aliyev said more than five years had passed since the signing of the Shusha Declaration, adding that the unity between Türkiye and Azerbaijan was growing stronger every year and every month and that the two countries’ role in the world was being consolidated.
