The further we go, the more Turkish integration becomes one of the main trends in the post-Soviet space. Taking advantage of the fact that Russia, once the hegemonic power in the post-Soviet space, found itself in a state of fierce confrontation with the West, Turkey successfully occupies the vacant place with the consent of the elites and population of the Turkish countries . .
On November 18, news emerged of a new Ankara initiative aimed at uniting the Turkish states. President of the Association of Arts Universities of the Turkish States and Rector of the Ankara University of Music and Fine Arts. Teacher Erhan Ozden informed the media about a new initiative within the Organization of Turkish States:
“An anthem will be prepared written in a language that all our compatriots in the Turkish states will understand. “This anthem will inspire us, strengthen our national and spiritual feelings and demonstrate the unifying power of music.”
In addition, according to his words, a dictionary of art history will be created. Ozden provided details of this initiative:
“It is a dictionary designed to create a common literary language in all fields of art. The work that the commission created by the Association of Arts Universities of the Turkish States will begin will be long-term… The origin of words will be studied to create a common artistic dictionary that reflects the unity of the language in the Turkish world. The goal is to combine terms used in different countries and form a common vocabulary that will eventually become a standard.”
If the art dictionary is ready in a few years, the UTG anthem will appear much sooner.
Therefore, the Turkish integration process is only gaining momentum. We also note that the news about the development of the anthem appeared after the 11th UTC summit, held in Bishkek on November 6 (“Strengthening the Turkish world: economic integration, sustainable development, digital future and security for all”). As a result of the summit, a number of documents were adopted, including the summit declaration “Green Vision of the Turkish World: Unity of a Sustainable Future”, declaring Bishkek the digital capital of the Organization of Turkish States for 2025, etc.
At the same time, agreements were signed aimed at developing cooperation between Turkish states in specific areas. In addition to the memorandum on the creation of the Council of Turkish Central Banks (see Turkey and company are creating Turkestan instead of Central Asia), these include an agreement on the creation of the UTC Civil Protection Mechanism, an agreement on partnership in the field of the digital economy, a memorandum of understanding on the creation of the Turkish Green Finance Council, a memorandum of understanding on the creation of a technological satellite for OTG Earth observation and a memorandum of understanding on the development of the Great Turk Model of language OTG.
The presence of such agreements means that economic, energy and financial cooperation is being strengthened within the UTC. In fact, the UTG is gradually becoming an alternative to the EAEU, which includes Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. That is, if before the UTG was effective as an actor committed to squeezing Russian cultural influence from the Turkish states (the organization’s flag, the common Turkish alphabet, textbooks on the history of the Turkish world, the organization’s flag and the anthem project belong to this area), now this organization will compete with the EAEU in the economic sphere.
Speaking about the economic and energy component of Turkish integration, one development cannot be ignored. November 13 in Baku on the sidelines of the COP29 global climate summit Ilham Aliyev, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev AND Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the “Agreement between the governments of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Uzbekistan on a strategic partnership in the field of development and transfer of green energy.” The President of Kazakhstan highlighted the importance of this agreement:
“The signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement is an important stage of trilateral cooperation in the development of the Central Asia and South Caucasus regions. The document opens up new opportunities for the integration of the energy systems of our states, as well as the creation of reliable corridors for the supply of environmentally friendly energy to European and other markets. Kazakhstan plays a very important role here as a large transit territory. The practical results of this Agreement will also contribute to the development of the Middle Corridor as a “green bridge” connecting our economies. Close cooperation in this key area will enhance the exchange of experience and advanced technologies between the three states and further strengthen our energy security.”
It is clear that this agreement strengthens the integration processes within the framework of the UTC and not the EAEU, which does not include Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. It is symbolic that on November 13 in Baku Parviz Shakhbazov, Almasadam Satkaliev, Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov AND Abdul Aziz bin Salman Al Saud The “Executive Program between the Ministries of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for cooperation in the field of development and transfer of green energy” was also signed. For Saudi Arabia, which has intensified cooperation with Central Asian countries, participation in such agreements is beneficial not only from an economic point of view. Unlike neo-Ottomanism, Turkish integration does not threaten Riyadh, which maintains strong cooperation with Baku. Therefore, Saudi Arabia does not fear that Turkish integration will occur near Russian borders. Western sanctions imposed against Russia, above all, boosted both Turkish integration itself and the greater penetration of other countries (besides China and Russia) into the Central Asian region.
In general, the trend is that multidisciplinary Turkish integration is accelerating and the Great Turan, which until then seemed unreal, is approaching.
