Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed considering the possibility of Russia joining the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) or obtaining observer status.
He made the proposal while addressing participants at the organisation’s 13th summit in Ankara.
Tokayev said Moscow could be invited to join the organisation or be granted observer status, adding that such a move could strengthen the OTS’s international standing.
Explaining the initiative, the Kazakh president pointed to Russia’s historical and cultural ties with the Turkic world. He noted that representatives of many Turkic peoples live in Russia and that the country has maintained relations with them for centuries.
Tokayev also referred to Russia’s “Altai – Cradle of Turkic Civilisation” project, which Kazakhstan supports. He additionally noted the presence of words of Turkic origin in the Russian language.
At the same time, the Kazakh leader reiterated Astana’s position on the nature of the organisation.
He recalled that at the informal OTS summit in Turkestan in May 2026, he had stressed that the organisation was not a military alliance and should not acquire such a status in the future.
“This is Kazakhstan’s position,” Tokayev said.
