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Türkiye will host the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara on Oct 29-30, bringing together leaders of the Turkic world to review cooperation in areas ranging from agriculture and transport to the digital economy and space.

Talks are expected to cover the Middle Corridor, border crossings, customs procedures and logistics costs, alongside plans for a shared digital agriculture platform, while Türkiye takes over the organization's term presidency from Azerbaijan.

Summit schedule and theme

Ankara, which has been named the 2026 "Turkic World Tourism Capital," is preparing to host another major international event after the NATO summit held there in July. Leaders of the Turkic world are set to gather in the Turkish capital for the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States on Oct 29-30.

According to the organization's calendar, the Council of Foreign Ministers will meet on Oct 29. The summit itself is scheduled for Oct 30, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan under the theme "Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Work." The session is expected to address the current state of cooperation within the organization and its future outlook, as well as regional and international developments of common interest.

Leaders are expected to assess progress in the organization's priority areas, among them political cooperation, trade and investment, transport and connectivity, energy, digital transformation, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and institutional development. Particular weight will be given to strengthening unity among the Turkic states and moving concrete cooperation forward in line with the Turkic World 2040 Vision.

Türkiye is due to take over the term presidency from Azerbaijan during the summit. The heads of state are expected to adopt the Ankara Declaration together with decisions and documents aimed at deepening cooperation and further strengthening the organization's institutional structure.

Business talks to center on corridors and customs

Turkish business circles are expected to come together through a series of events around the summit. The Middle Corridor, border crossings, customs procedures and logistics costs are set to be prominent in those discussions.

A separate meeting between Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Turkish business representatives is planned for Oct 30.

Digital economy, agriculture and space on the agenda

Member countries will also discuss cooperation spanning transport, digital technologies, agriculture and space. The Middle Corridor is seen as holding significant opportunities for the economic integration of the Turkic world, while the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line stands out as one element of transport cooperation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

A partnership agreement on the digital economy among members aims to remove obstacles to e-commerce, digital services and cross-border data-based economic activity, making such activity easier. Türkiye ratified the agreement in June, becoming the third country to complete its domestic approval process after Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Digital cooperation extends to agriculture through a planned "OTD Digital Agriculture Data Platform" for data exchange and smart solutions among member states. In space, a framework agreement was signed as a continuation of the ongoing joint cube satellite project carried out under the organization's coordination at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026).

Trade with full members approaches $17 billion

The summit's talks and meetings are expected to contribute to economic and commercial relations. Türkiye has been a net exporter to the organization's member countries in recent years.

Turkish exports to full members Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan stood at $6.2 billion in 2021, against $4.2 billion in imports. The figures were $6.9 billion in exports and $6.2 billion in imports in 2022, $8.8 billion and $6.4 billion in 2023, and $10 billion and $6.5 billion in 2024.

In 2025, exports came to $9.6 billion and imports to $7.3 billion, bringing annual trade between Türkiye and the full members close to $17 billion. By country, Kazakhstan led last year's exports with $3.2 billion, followed by Azerbaijan with $3 billion, Uzbekistan with $2.1 billion and Kyrgyzstan with $1.3 billion.

In the first eight months of this year, Türkiye's exports to member countries reached $6.1 billion and imports $5.4 billion, putting trade in the period close to $11.5 billion. Kazakhstan topped the export list with $2 billion, ahead of Azerbaijan with $1.9 billion, Uzbekistan with $1.3 billion and Kyrgyzstan with $832.8 million.

Alongside full members, Turkmenistan, Hungary and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus take part in the organization as observer states, while the Economic Cooperation Organization holds observer organization status.

Key takeaways

• The 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States will be held in Ankara on Oct 29-30, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
• Türkiye will take over the term presidency from Azerbaijan, and leaders are expected to adopt the Ankara Declaration.
• Agenda items include the Middle Corridor, a digital economy partnership, a shared digital agriculture data platform and a joint cube satellite project.
• Türkiye's annual trade with the organization's full members approached $17 billion in 2025, with exports of $9.6 billion and imports of $7.3 billion.