ANTALYA – What began as an intellectual vision of unity in language and culture a century ago is now translating into concrete cooperation across the Turkic world, officials said on April 19 at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. They highlighted joint initiatives and a UNESCO-backed recognition of Turkic languages.
The panel took place at the ADF on April 19, titled A Century of Language and Identity From Baku Turkology Congress to Turkic Integration. Photo credit: ADF Kubanychbek Omuraliev, secretary-general of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), linked growing engagement in the Turkic world to a century-old vision of unity, first articulated by prominent Turkic thinker Ismail Gasprinski.
“However, due to the well-known historical and political circumstances, the realization of the ideas required almost an entire century. It was only in the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, that the Turkic states regained independence. This historic turning point created for the first time the necessary political condition to transform the intellectual ideas of the Baku congress [the First Turkological Congress held in Baku in 1926] into concrete political will and practical cooperation,” said Omuraliyev.
He described the first summit of Turkic state leaders in 1992 in Ankara as a milestone event that laid the tradition of regular high-level dialogue among Turkic countries. “ Over time, this engagement deepened mutual understanding and strengthened the institution’s foundation of cooperation,” he added.
OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev. Photo credit: ADF Cooperation deepened over time, culminating in the 2009 Nakhchivan Summit, which established the Turkic Council, later rebranded as the Organization of Turkic States at the 2021 Istanbul Summit to reflect its expanding scope and strategic role.
“In parallel with the institutional development, our current Turkic cooperation organizations have emerged, actively contributing to collaboration in various sectors such as culture, education, business, and investment,” he said. Turkic cooperation spans more than 40 areas, supported by a network of institutions, including TURKSOY, the Turkic Academy and the Turkic Investment Fund, among others.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to develop a common historical narrative, create a shared alphabet and preserve cultural heritage as key steps toward deeper integration. “Such initiatives have the potential to serve as powerful instruments for fostering deeper unity among the Turkic people,” he said.
Shahin Mustafayev, president of the Turkic Academy, said the 1926 Baku Turkology Congress should be understood as a landmark intellectual and cultural moment. Speaking at the same panel, Mustafayev said the congress brought together, for the first time, scholars and intellectuals from across a vast geography to discuss the shared language, history and future of Turkic peoples.
“And at the same time, they had the opportunity to make very important decisions regarding the future of Turkic languages,” he added.