Statement by H.E. Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, at the Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States

7 October 2025

Gabala, Azerbaijan

Honorable Ministers,

Mr. Secretary-General,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I sincerely welcome you all to the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Azerbaijan’s ancient and beautiful city of Gabala.

We are delighted to see you at this meeting, held in preparation for the 12^th Summit on the theme of “Regional Peace and Security.”

I would like to thank the friendly and brotherly Kyrgyz Republic for its effective chairmanship of the Organization over the past year and its efforts to further develop cooperation among our member states.

Based on shared language, history, and traditions, cooperation in more than 35 areas, including political, economic, and cultural fields, has been developed within the framework of our Organization, established by the Nakhchivan Agreement, transforming the OTS into a dynamic and important regional center.

In an era where confidence in international institutions is shaken, the dynamism of our cooperative ties, built on fraternity and mutual trust among the Turkic states, is not only a source of pride for all of us but also a solid foundation for looking to the future with hope.

Today, here at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, we will once again discuss cooperation prospects in areas such as politics, economy, trade, investment, transport, energy security, digital development, and green transformation, as well as the initiatives of our member states to further strengthen our Organization.

The initiative of H.E. President Ilham Aliyev to increase the number of annual OTS Summit meetings to two creates a favorable opportunity for a prompt, in-depth, and comprehensive discussion of our cooperation opportunities. In this context, along with the final documents of numerous OTS Summit meetings in previous years, the Declarations adopted at the conclusion of the last official Summit held in Bishkek in 2024, as well as the informal Summit meetings held in Shusha and Budapest in 2024 and 2025, respectively, serve as strategic roadmaps for the implementation of our joint initiatives and projects.

It can confidently be stated that the Gabala Declaration and other documents planned to be adopted at the conclusion of the Summit will positively impact the development dynamics of our Organization and add additional value to our common work.

Dear colleagues,

In the face of existing global and regional security challenges, demonstrating comprehensive political coordination and solidarity is extremely important.

Within the emerging new international security architecture, our Organization has the potential to play a more pivotal role as a symbol of Turkic unity.

Azerbaijan’s consistent efforts and target-oriented activities towards the normalization process with Armenia, with which our country was in conflict for decades, are also aimed at establishing peace and stability in the region.

As is known, after Azerbaijan fully restored its sovereignty in 2023, the intensity of direct contacts and joint efforts between the parties towards the normalization of relations with Armenia further increased.

In this context, the Summit meeting held in Washington on 8 August 2025, between the leaders of Azerbaijan, the United States, and Armenia, and the documents signed during the meeting, carry historical importance.

For this historic opportunity to be properly assessed and for a peace treaty to be signed, Armenia must eliminate the territorial claims against Azerbaijan enshrined at the constitutional level.

Honorable Ministers,

We can speak of comprehensive regional development and integration only when regional peace and stability serve the socio-economic welfare and progress of our people. We must further strengthen our economic potential and develop mutual investments and trade among the members of our Organization to make our cooperation more substantive and sustainable.

The OTS member states geographically form a natural transportation-logistics-transit line playing a bridge role between the continents of Europe and Asia, and possess immense potential in this direction. This line is also an integral part of the Middle Corridor.

Azerbaijan has made consistent efforts over recent decades to revive and operationalize this corridor. These efforts have been demonstrated through concrete projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Baku International Sea Trade Port, and the Alat Free Economic Zone.

In this context, the announcement of the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) within the framework of the Washington Summit on 8 August 2025, which will ensure unimpeded movement between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of our country via the Zangezur corridor, is also a significant step in terms of diversifying connectivity in our region.

Cooperation on energy security among the OTS member states is also commendable and promises great prospects. For many years, Azerbaijan has contributed to energy security in Europe and a wider geography through transregional projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and the Southern Gas Corridor.

We believe it is time to enrich our successful partnership in the traditional energy sector with new elements of cooperation. In this regard, in the era of high technologies and green transformation, projects such as the “Digital Silk Road” and the “Green Energy Corridor” will undoubtedly bring long-term political and economic dividends to our countries and further strengthen partnership within the OTS framework.

At the same time, I would like to note with pleasure the participation of the friendly and brotherly OTS member states in the restoration and construction works carried out in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, emphasizing that this provides additional value to our cooperation within the Organization and creates new opportunities for our partnership.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the context of the mentioned challenges and prospects, our Organization is emerging as a highly important regional actor.

Azerbaijan supports strengthening the functionality and personnel potential of our Organization’s Secretariat to further enhance the international reputation of the OTS and has come forward with concrete proposals in this regard. To contribute to the work of our Organization as well as to create an additional incentive for increasing the Secretariat’s budget, Azerbaijan has transferred an additional $2 million USD to the account of the OTS Secretariat.

Azerbaijan is determined to continue its support for the institutionalization and strengthening of the activities of Turkic cooperation organizations, including TURKPA, TURKSOY, the Turkic Academy, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, as well as the Representation office of the OTS in Hungary.

I am confident that the discussions held during today’s meeting will give impetus to the development of our friendly and brotherly peoples, our states, and the region as a whole.

I thank you for your attention