A British newspaper writes about the rapprochement between Turkey and Central Asia, suggesting that the Organization of Turkic States is becoming a counterbalance to Russia, which still maintains influence in the region, reports the British publication Economist.com.
The article refers to the Nomad Games held this month in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, in which representatives from 89 countries participated, calling it a Turkic project.
The vast Turkic world includes Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, and extends into Russia and China, where Turkic-speaking peoples reside, the article states.
Another sign of the strengthening of Turkic identity is the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). It has become an instrument for cooperation in various fields, from education to foreign policy.
The union helps to balance other organizations in the region dominated by Russia, notes the British publication.
Turkey is the key force in the Organization of Turkic States. Ankara's trade with OTS countries has doubled since 2015 and reached $12.6 billion last year.
At the Fifth World Nomad Games, the Turkish team was warmly welcomed by spectators in Astana, and a speech by Bilal Erdoğan, son of Turkey’s president and head of the World Ethnosport Confederation, was met with applause.
The publication notes that Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is criticized in the West, while in Central Asia, he is "admired."
CentralasianLIGHT.org
October 3, 2024