Ankara, 29 October. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived at the Külliye presidential complex in Ankara for the opening ceremony of the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and was met by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Akorda said; Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev did not travel to the summit.
In the evening Tokayev and the other OTS heads of state opened the Alley of the Turkic World in Ankara's Beştepe park. It hosts national pavilions of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In the Kazakh pavilion the presidents were shown a yurt, the sculpture "Saka Hunter" with a falconer and a tazy hound, and copies of the Orkhon inscriptions of ancient Turkic writing.
The summit runs until 30 October; at it Turkey takes over the organisation's chairmanship from Azerbaijan. Baku explained Aliyev's absence by the final match and closing ceremony on 30 October of the first FIFA U-15 World Cup and festival being held there; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had invited Aliyev to the summit in a phone call on 21 October.
The summit takes place against the backdrop of a dispute between Ankara and Baku over hijabs. In October the Azerbaijani government approved a school dress code that in effect bans religious clothing in state schools, including for teachers. Turkish politicians, among them opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, urged Baku to give women freedom to choose their clothing; the ruling New Azerbaijan Party called the accusations an attack on the sovereignty and foundations of a secular state.
What it means: Kazakhstan is taking part in an OTS summit at which Turkey assumes the chairmanship, while the summit itself is overshadowed by a dispute between the organisation's two closest allies, Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Who benefits: Kazakhstan – the Alley of the Turkic World and its pavilion showcase Kazakh culture in the capital of the chairing country. Turkey – the chairmanship gives it a platform for new initiatives which, according to Erdoğan, will strengthen the organisation.
Background: The Organization of Turkic States is the former Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, renamed in 2021. Its full members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan; Hungary and Turkmenistan are observers. Tokayev has been in Turkey since 28 October: the day before, he held talks with Erdoğan, after which the sides agreed to raise trade to $15 billion.
We have also reported that Erdoğan and Tokayev agreed to raise trade to $15 billion.
