Baku, April 2, AZERTAC

On April 2, a joint statement was adopted within the framework of the second meeting of the Heads of Government/Vice President of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Baku.

AZERTAC presents the statement:

“The second meeting of the Heads of Government/Vice President of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 2 April 2026 in Baku, attended by Ali Asadov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic and Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic; Cevdet Yılmaz, Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye; Abdulla Aripov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Ünal Üstel, Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; Nokerguly Atagulyyev, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan; as well as Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the OTS.

The Heads of Government/Vice President of the member states of the OTS:

Welcomed the successful organization of the First Meeting of the Heads of Government/Vice President of the member states, held on 18 September 2025 in Bishkek by the Kyrgyz Republic during its chairpersonship in the OTS;

Expressed their support for the ongoing chairpersonship of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the OTS and welcomed its active efforts aimed at strengthening unity, enhancing institutional capacity, and advancing practical cooperation across priority areas;

Reaffirmed the commitments of the member states under the Nakhchivan Agreement and other key documents of the OTS, and emphasized that close cooperation within the OTS plays a vital role in promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development across the region and beyond;

Underlined the importance of the outcomes of the 12th Summit of the OTS in Gabala, Republic of Azerbaijan, convened on 7 October 2025 under the theme “Regional Peace and Security”, where it was agreed to intensify cooperation with a view to consolidating their positions on issues of mutual interest, in light of evolving geopolitical and security challenges;

In this regard, they positively assessed the results of the Informal Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OTS, convened in Istanbul on 7 March 2026, as a timely opportunity to hold extensive consultations on regional and global developments posing a direct threat to regional peace and security, thereby further strengthening solidarity among the member states;

Underscored the need to expand economic relations and investment cooperation among the member states and observers, including through the promotion of joint projects and the improvement of the business and investment climate, as well as encouraged the strengthening of business-to-business contacts;

Having regard to the Turkic World Vision-2040, emphasized their commitment to increasing trade volume among the member states through the elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade;

Taking into account the contribution of industrial development to economic growth, its importance in establishing a sustainable economic model, and the opportunities it offers for further enhancing cooperation, expressed readiness to strengthen collaboration in areas of mutual industrial interest among the member states and observers;

Noted the importance of further developing cooperation in the areas of standardization, digitalization, and the promotion of green technologies and initiatives;

Underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in the field of agriculture as a factor of sustainable economic growth and food security, including the introduction of modern agricultural technologies, development of infrastructure, digitalization of the sector, as well as the expansion of trade in agricultural products;

Noted the importance of strengthening activities to enhance energy security for attaining sustainable development, including, inter alia, the diversification of energy sources and the security of supply, energy routes, and regional energy connectivity;

Highlighted the development of oil, gas, and other hydrocarbon transportation, including the effective use and expansion of existing infrastructure;

Welcomed the progress achieved in the implementation of green energy development and transmission projects between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, and expressed strong support for the development of the Green Energy Corridor aimed at transmitting renewable energy generated in Central Asia across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and further to European markets;

Emphasized the significant role of critical minerals in energy security and energy transition objectives and called for exploring opportunities for potential cooperation;

Noted the importance and potential of energy efficiency in decreasing energy consumption and expressed willingness to promote the sharing of best practices;

Expressed their support for exploring opportunities to establish cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy;

Highlighted the growing importance of innovation, digital transformation, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, as strategic drivers of economic development, and expressed support for expanding cooperation in these areas;

Noted, in line with the Turkic World Vision-2040, the increasing role of artificial intelligence and encouraged the development of innovation ecosystems and the expansion of joint initiatives that enable both public institutions and the private sector to generate added value through AI and digital solutions by facilitating collaboration through technoparks and acceleration programs for startups, supporting the exchange of expertise, as well as promoting the establishment of data centers, comprehensive digital reforms, and the digital transformation of the exchange of data and documents;

With the growing importance of space and space technologies, encouraged fostering joint initiatives and advancing concrete collaborative projects, and, recognizing the significance of cybersecurity in economic and strategic domains, promoted closer cooperation among the member states;

Supported the development of transport corridors, including the integration of fiber-optic and digital connectivity infrastructure, and emphasized the efficient use of strategic geographic potential through coordinated regional projects, including by facilitating the seamless digital exchange of data and documents to strengthen connectivity and economic development;

Recalling the significance of strengthening regional connectivity and sustainable transport links, underscored the importance of the conclusion of the Agreement on Cooperation for the Development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor (Middle Corridor) to promote and facilitate transit along the corridor, and expressed their commitment to using the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway to its maximum potential, and underlined the importance of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway for strengthening interregional connectivity and diversifying trade routes between Europe and Asia;

Reaffirmed the importance of ensuring the full and timely implementation of the instructions and decisions adopted by the Heads of State at the OTS Summits;

Commended Kazakhstan’s timely initiative to host an Informal Summit of the OTS under the theme of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development in 2026 in Turkestan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic World;

Expressed their profound appreciation to the Republic of Azerbaijan for the excellent organization of the event and for the warm hospitality extended to all delegations.

Adopted in Baku on 2 April 2026 in the English language.”