The 13th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has began in Türkiye's capital Ankara on Friday.
The summit is hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan under the theme Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Deed.
The Turkish leader welcomed the visiting leaders on their arrival at the Bestepe National Exhibition Hall.
Stressing the importance of unity among the Turkic states, Erdogan said that 'there is no room for division or discord in the Turkic world.' On the South Caucasus, he said a peaceful and stable South Caucasus will offer "significant opportunities" for regional countries and the entire Turkic world.
Türkiye hopes that renewed Iran tensions will be resolved through diplomacy rather than arms, Erdogan noted. He urged Turkic states to "do more" to achieve a just solution to the Palestinian issue, calling for contributions to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and launching reconstruction efforts as soon as possible.
The OTS summit is expected to review the current state of cooperation and future prospects, as well as regional and international developments of shared interest. They will assess progress in the organization's priority areas, including political cooperation, trade and investment, transportation and connectivity, energy, digital transformation, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and institutional development.
The Heads of State are expected to adopt the Ankara Declaration, together with a number of decisions and documents aimed at deepening cooperation and further strengthening the institutional framework of the OTS.
