At the Geopolitics and Security Studies Center, the activities of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the potential for cooperation with the EU as well as the Baltic and Nordic countries were presented. The discussion highlighted the OTS region’s geographic significance in developing connectivity initiatives between Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Northern Europe. Particular attention was given to the role of the “Middle Corridor” in seeking alternative logistics routes and energy supply chains. OTS representatives and experts also discussed the importance of identifying synergies between the OTS and the EU, as well as other initiatives such as the “Global Gateway” and the Three Seas Initiative.
When discussing practical mechanisms, participants pointed to opportunities for project-based cooperation in transport, logistics, and energy, and emphasized the potential for investment and for high value-added businesses to take part in OTS projects.
Participants included Ömer Kocaman, Deputy Secretary General of the OTS; Ambassador Ramil Hasan, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA); Cavanşir Feyziyev, a Turkic countries expert and a member of the Azerbaijan National Assembly; and Taurimas Valys, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. The discussion was moderated by Vytautas Leškevičius, the Center’s Senior Policy Analyst.