The increasing geopolitical importance of the “Turkic Council”
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The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States or in the short version, Turkic Council, is regarded as the political framework of the Turkish world.
Turkic Council: Historical Background
The first idea of its establishment was put forward in 2006 by the former President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev who has also been described as the wise man of the Turkish World. Three years later, under auspices of Nakhchivan Agreement, it has become an official intergovernmental organization. There are four founding members signed the agreement at first sight: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. In addition to these founding members, very recently Uzbekistan made a highly noteworthy decision and became a member of the council. Besides Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Hungary are also attending the meetings with observer status. At first glance, the idea of the Turkic Council can be seen as it has rooted in the 2000s, in fact, its foundations are laid in the Summit of Turkic Speaking Countries which was held in 1992 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The participants of the Turkic Speaking Countries Summit were composed of the current members of the Turkic Council plus Turkmenistan.
The fundamental aim is to increase the cooperation and to contribute the regional and global peace and stability by bringing together the Turkish language speaking countries with a common historical and cultural heritage. Through this cooperation, a similar structure as the European Union has been tried to establish. As a matter of fact, there are similar objectives between E.U and Turkic council such as the free movement of people, goods and services. The Summit of the Turkic Speaking Countries and its evolution to the Turkish Council are considered as the cornerstones in the Turkish World.
The Turkic Council has three centers (Istanbul, Baku, Nur-Sultan) and General Secretariat is located in Istanbul. Under the Headquarters, there are various bodies and different institutions affiliated to the Council. These institutions operate to enhance its regional and global influence through public diplomacy. Most of these institutions have their foundations in the Turkish Speaking Countries Summit. Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries, the International Organization of Turkic Culture, the Turkic Academy, the Turkic Business Council, and the Turkic University Union are some of the foundations laid in this direction.
The main objectives and tasks of the Turkish Council are set out in the founding treaty of Nakhchivan: “strengthening mutual confidence, friendship and good neighborhood among the Parties; maintaining peace, strengthening security and confidence in the region and in the world as a whole; search for common positions on foreign policy issues of mutual interest, including those in the framework of international organizations and at international fora; coordination of actions to combat international terrorism and separatism, extremism, trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking, as well as the assistance to international policy on control over illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; promotion of effective regional and bilateral cooperation in political, trade and economic, law enforcement, environmental, cultural, scientific-technical, military-technical, educational, energy, transportation, credit and finance areas and other areas of common interest; creation of favorable conditions for trade and investment, further simplification of customs and transit procedures aiming at facilitation of movement of goods, capital, services and technologies, and simplification of financial and banking operations; aiming for the comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions on the basis of equal partnership in order to steadily increase and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Parties.”
The capacities of the member states to the Council together with observer states are of pivotal importance.
It has a population of approximately 164 million, about 1.5 trillion dollars of domestic product and very rich natural resources. Considering the geography where it is located, the potential of the Turkic Council ought not to be overlooked. The crucial capacity possessed by the official political framework of the Turkish World increases the member states’ influence both regionally and globally.
Strategic Position of the Council: Uzbekistan’s Membership
Throughout the nation-building and state-building processes followed by Uzbekistan during the post-Soviet period, the necessary importance was not attached to elements such as Turkish identity, common history and cultural heritage, common language, and religion. Despite its participation into the Turkish Speaking Countries Summit from the very beginning, the factors such as security and terrorism problems, tensions with other neighboring countries (specifically on water resources sharing), border conflicts, the policy of neutrality have been forestalled Uzbekistan’s fully integration process into the Turkish World. These are the main reasons why Uzbekistan did not join the Turkic Council as a member state in the first place.
Uzbekistan shines through the other Central Asian states with its, 50 billion dollars GDP and 32 million populations. Beyond these data, the increasing industrialization and the surplus in foreign trade are among the significant indicators of the development level of the country. The export products of the country are mainly composed of machinery, automotive and derivative products followed by cotton and energy resources. The high added value and quality of the commodities within the national income and export volume opens up an opportunity for the country to pursue a relatively independent economy. The foreign trade partners and volumes show that the level of trade interactions between Uzbekistan and the other Turkic Council members are not at the expected level. On the other side, its central position in the Central Asian region gives Uzbekistan a critical role in terms of geopolitics. The location it possesses had been a significant route for the economic and cultural exchange between the East and the West. The Silk Road and Spice Trade also pass through Uzbekistan regardless of its current function. Furthermore, the country has very rich gold, natural gas, and oil resources. Moreover, the tourism potential of the city, especially of cities like Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent, increases the country’s visibility and image worldwide.