President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday joined heads of state and government from members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Budapest, Hungary. The informal meeting showcased the rising profile of the international body co-founded by Türkiye in 2009.
Erdoğan highlighted this and called for more solidarity between members during the roundtable meeting at the beginning of the summit at Varkert Bazar, a neo-Renaissance complex overlooking the Danube River.
Erdoğan underlined that Turkic countries must think beyond their borders to tackle global conflicts. "Tragedies that took place in the past in Cyprus, Karabakh, Bosnia-Herzegovina and today in Gaza remind us that we must also think beyond our borders."
"Every occasion where we raise our voices will be addressed to a fairer order, a just share (of resources) and a law-based system that humanity needs. We need to stand for each other as the principle of our fraternity and make our solidarity more visible," he said.
"We overcame challenges and prejudices. Looking back, we are now on an exemplary level. We have more to do, but I believe we will reach our goals with our brothers here," he said.
The summit is held in Hungary, an observer state of the OTS, for the first time. Hungary is the only observer state of the body that is entirely located in Europe, while members are concentrated in Asia or serve as a bridge between Europe and Asia, like Türkiye. Erdoğan highlighted that giving hosting duty to Hungary indicated how the OTS attached importance to the country, as he thanked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Touching upon the theme of the summit, "Meeting Point of East and West," Erdoğan said Turkic states inherited a deep-rooted legacy merging East's wisdom and West's dynamism, at the intersection of history and civilizations.
"I believe our organization will remain the architect of this strategic connection between East and West," he added.
Erdoğan said the OTS' secretariat should be reinforced further and doubling its budget would be a good step toward this.
Erdoğan also called on the OTS to declare March 21 as Nevruz Day, stating that the Nevruz Festival was their most important common cultural heritage. Nevruz, widely regarded as the "beginning of the new year," the "harbinger of spring" and the "festival of nature," is celebrated across a vast geography – from the Adriatic to China – with traditions that have been maintained for centuries. In the Turkic world, the Nevruz celebrations mark the awakening of nature after a harsh winter, heralding the arrival of spring.
Erdoğan also called on the OTS to declare Dec. 15 as World Turkish Language Day.
In his speech, Erdoğan highlighted the importance of the Middle Corridor. The Middle Corridor refers to a trade route from Southeast Asia and China to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye. It is viewed as an alternative to the Northern Corridor stretching across Russia.
"Cooperation in the OTS is important for the success of the Middle Corridor," he said.
The Turkic world must further support the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Erdoğan also said on Wednesday, calling on the body to take the necessary steps.
“We believe that a family photo of the Turkic world without the TRNC will always be incomplete,” Erdoğan told the summit.
The Budapest meeting is the first leaders' meeting after reactions were drawn from Turkish officials when some OTS members made a deal with the EU to recognize the Greek Cypriot administration. Some member countries of the OTS announced at the summit they held with the EU on April 4 that they would abide by U.N. Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550, which condemned the establishment of the TRNC and called on states not to recognize it and decided to open embassies in the Greek Cypriot administration.
The TRNC has been accepted into the Turkish Academy of the OTS as an observer member, a step hailed by Erdoğan. "God willing, I hope to see the TRNC as a full member of our organization in the near future," he added.
He hailed the peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying it would open new opportunities for the Turkic world in the South Caucasus. "If a lasting peace is maintained, it will undoubtedly bring many opportunities to our Turkic world. At this point, my dear brother (President) Ilham Aliyev will go down in history as the leader who brought peace to the region.
Erdoğan also touched upon the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the new developments in Syria. "Civilians are living in hell in Gaza, where the most severe humanitarian disaster of modern times is taking place," Erdoğan said, adding that the countries must stand against Israel's ever-expanding attacks.
"As the Turkic world, efforts for creating a cease-fire, the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid, Gaza's reconstruction and the peace process are vital."
He pointed out a dire warning by the United Nations that 14,000 babies might face imminent death without access to humanitarian aid.
"As the Turkic world, our contributions to efforts for maintaining a cease-fire, uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of Gaza are crucial. We have to stand against Israel's expansionism and support the territorial integrity of Lebanon and Syria."
At his address to the summit, Orban heaped praise on Erdoğan for his role in the Istanbul peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. "Mr. President, it is your personal accomplishment to host direct talks between Russia and Ukraine after three years," he said, referring to the first peace talks.
Orban said they were honored to host the summit and admitted that he did not expect the OTS to gain such significance when Hungary became an observer state seven years ago.
"Back then, the Turkic world was on the rise. But at the same time, the development of Europe, where Hungary is, the European Union, dramatically slowed down," he said.
Orban stated that Hungary would face difficulties if it solely depended on the dynamics of the European economy. They needed the OTS for further momentum, pointing out that their trade volume expanded to $45 billion from $30 billion with OTS member states. He said the OTS also proved essential for cooperation in tackling the economic consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict for other countries.
The Hungarian leader said Europe lacked an economic strategy and drifted in stormy seas without a compass. He reiterated that the war in Ukraine, preventing Russian natural gas from entering Europe, led to tragic consequences, but that cooperation with the OTS helped mend this situation. Orban also recalled the construction of TurkStream and how "the West did everything to prevent it."
"We resisted and built it. Without this pipeline, Hungary would not have gas and energy. I thank President Erdoğan for his full support of this project. I also thank President Ilham Aliyev, as the first natural gas supplies were from Azerbaijan," Orban stressed.
The summit concluded with the Budapest Declaration that emphasized the unity of member and observer states. The declaration said the TRNC was an inseparable part of the OTS, along with other observer states and appreciated its contribution to the body. It underlined the need for a mutually acceptable and applicable solution based on the existing reality on the island about the Cyprus question. It expressed solidarity with Turkish Cypriots’ natural equal rights.
The declaration included provisions reaffirming a commitment to the spirit of brotherhood within the OTS, emphasizing the importance of preventing any attempts to undermine unity and solidarity among Turkic states, as outlined in the "Turkic World Vision" document. The declaration reiterated support for the integrity, institutional strength and decision-making capacity of the OTS. It encouraged observer states, including the TRNC, to host exchange programs and similar activities in youth and sports under the organization’s framework.
It also praised Türkiye’s constructive role in promoting stability and security in Syria, based on the country’s territorial integrity and unity. It underscored the importance of an inclusive political process involving all Syrian components and called for lifting sanctions.
Regarding Gaza, the declaration expressed deep concern over the dire humanitarian situation. It reaffirmed support for negotiations for a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire, the release of hostages and detainees, and unimpeded humanitarian access. It rejected all attempts to displace Palestinians from Gaza. It stressed the need for a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, in line with relevant U.N. resolutions.
The establishment of a working group on Afghanistan was welcomed as a means to develop a common position among OTS member states. A separate joint statement by the Council of Heads of State on Afghanistan was also adopted.
The declaration noted that, in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s March 21 call, the OTS secretariat was instructed to organize commemoration and celebration events for Nowruz, the common festival of the Turkic world, in cooperation with member states, observers and Turkic cooperation organizations.
It also renewed commitments to combat all forms of racism, discrimination, xenophobia, Islamophobia, hate speech and disinformation and to coordinate efforts in these areas on international platforms.
Additionally, the declaration approved items urging OTS member states to maintain joint efforts against all forms of terrorism, transnational organized crime, terrorist financing and cybercrime. It reaffirmed the commitment to fostering effective multilateral cooperation in defense industries within the OTS framework and instructed member states to accelerate efforts in this direction.
