Baku and Astana - Locomotives of Eurasian Transit

In Kazakhstan, in the ancient city of Turkestan, an informal summit of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States was held on May 15. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in the event.

The informal OTS summit in Turkestan holds key strategic significance, consolidating the transition from a predominantly cultural-humanitarian union to a technological, digital, and economic alliance, writes the newspaper "Caspian".

The meeting of leaders in the spiritual capital of the Turkic world symbolizes the synergy of historical roots and technologies of the future. It should be noted that Turkestan was officially recognized as the spiritual capital of the Turkic world on March 31, 2021; it is a sacred center for Turkic-speaking peoples and a center of pilgrimage. Here is the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi - a great Sufi whose legacy unites Turkic culture, and the city itself was the capital of the Kazakh Khanate.

Before the opening of the summit, the heads of state visited this mausoleum.

Turkestan - the first twin city of Shusha

Turkestan became the first twin city of the cultural capital of Azerbaijan - Shusha - after its liberation from occupation. Our ancient cities are brothers, just like our peoples. This was stated by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in his speech at the event.

The first informal summit of the heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States was held in Shusha in 2024, and now holding such events is becoming a tradition.

The head of our state announced in his speech that within the framework of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum, which will take place in Baku in the coming days, a high-level dialogue on urban development of the OTS will be organized. And in June, Turkic World Week will be held in Baku, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the first Turkological Congress, which made an enormous contribution to the scientific and cultural unity of Turkic peoples.

Speaking about the fact that the world is entering a new stage of development thanks to the opportunities provided by digital technologies and artificial intelligence, Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Turkic states must be at the forefront of this process.

Digital sovereignty

The central theme of the meeting was "Artificial