By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Türkiye is set to assume the rotating chairmanship of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) at its October 30 summit in Ankara. Before the handover, Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu attended an OTS reception in Istanbul, and Türkiye's Directorate of Communications has scheduled a panel in Lefkoşa for October 12.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has been an OTS observer since November 2022. No change to that status has been announced.
Ertuğruloğlu attends Istanbul reception
The October 8 reception marked Turkic States Cooperation Day and the approaching end of Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev's four-year term. Guests included Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and OTS Council of Elders Chairman Binali Yıldırım.
Ertuğruloğlu thanked Omuraliev for his support for the TRNC, according to the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry.
Lefkoşa hosts next Turkic World Dialogues panel
The October 12 event is the fifth in the "Turkic World Dialogues: Shared Future, Shared Vision" series, following meetings in Astana, Baku, Tashkent and Bishkek. It is organized by Türkiye's Directorate of Communications rather than an OTS decision-making body.
Türkiye's ambassador to Lefkoşa, Ali Murat Başçeri, is scheduled to open the panel. Communications Director Burhanettin Duran will address participants by video. The programme covers education, the economy, transport, energy, science and technology, defense industry, and media and culture.
Omuraliev met Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman in New York on September 25. Erhürman sought uninterrupted Turkish Cypriot participation in OTS activities covering trade, education, sports and culture. Omuraliev had separately met Ertuğruloğlu on September 23 to discuss cooperation and preparations for the Ankara summit.
Ankara prepares for October 30 handover
OTS foreign ministers are due to meet in Ankara on October 29, followed by the organization's 13th leaders' summit the next day. Türkiye will succeed Azerbaijan, which has held the rotating chairmanship since the October 2025 Gabala summit.
Defense and justice are already part of the OTS integration agenda: defense industry officials adopted a 2027 cooperation roadmap on October 1, and justice ministers signed a joint communiqué in Istanbul on October 7.
Sources: Organization of Turkic States, Türkiye's Directorate of Communications, Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry, Bosphorus News review and reporting.