The 11th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States kicked off today in Kyrgyzstan, bringing together the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of observer countries - Hungary, Turkmenistan and partially recognised Northern Cyprus. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov welcomed the participants, emphasising the importance of strengthening cooperation in the Turkic community.

The Summit became a platform for signing several important agreements. The Bishkek Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States member states adopted 16 documents. Among them:

•    Bishkek Declaration aimed at cooperation in development, security and resilience to environmental changes.
•    ‘Turkic Green Vision: Unity for a Sustainable Future’ - a conceptual document with a common strategy to promote environmental initiatives.
•    Memorandum of Understanding on the Turkic Council on Green Finance, aimed at developing a green economy.
•    Agreement on Digital Economy, facilitating digital trade and secure electronic interactions.
•    Decision to establish a Council of Central Banks to promote economic growth.
•    Memorandum of Understanding on the development of the large language model of the OTG.
•    Memorandum of Understanding in the space sector.

Bishkek was also declared the digital capital of the Turkic world for 2025.

The OTS Summit's main theme was ‘Strengthening the Turkic World: Economic Integration, Sustainable Development, Digital Future and Security for All’, and one of the central issues of the day was the green economy. According to Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev, the countries will present the Green Vision initiative, a concept that will set the direction for environmental programmes in the region.

During the Summit, the heads of the central banks of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum on the Council of Central Banks of Turkic States setting up. The new Council will coordinate monetary policy, develop payment systems and introduce financial technologies which will strengthen financial stability and deepen economic cooperation in the region.

We would like to note that following the results of the OTS event, the presidency for 2025 will be transferred to Kyrgyzstan. In this regard, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov presented the key directions of the country's upcoming chairmanship.

In his statement, the head of state emphasised the need to strengthen economic integration, expand digital cooperation and address environmental issues.

‘Kyrgyzstan sees the chairmanship as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the region aimed at sustainable development, security and a digital future for all,’ Zhaparov pointed out.

Sadyr Zhaparov underlined that the Kyrgyz side will build work based on the agreements reached, emphasizing the programme ‘Turkic World View -2040’ and the OTS strategies for 2022-2026.

The digital economy development and a common digital space creation for the OTS countries was also a key topic of discussions. In this context, the head of state noted Kyrgyzstan's successes in digitalisation and invited the participating countries to cooperate in simplifying e-commerce and transport procedures, and setting up common digital standards.

‘I take this opportunity to express my gratitude for supporting the initiative to award Bishkek the status of the digital capital of the Turkic world for 2025,’ the head of state remarked.

The President added that in Kyrgyzstan since 2021 the portal of state electronic services and its mobile version have become a single platform for interaction between business and government agencies. Today, the portal provides 100 + different services from 37 government agencies, and about 1.5 million citizens use it monthly.

He emphasised that digital documents available through the mobile application have legal force, simplifying many processes. In particular, he said, tax administration and licensing procedures have been simplified, making them more accessible and understandable for all market participants.

Recall that earlier at the meeting of the OTS economy ministers it was said that the countries plan to sign an agreement on paperless trade.

In addition, the President of Kyrgyzstan raised important issues of ecology and climate change, including the threat of melting glaciers in Kyrgyzstan. He underlined that the republic plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and hopes for the OTS countries‘ support in promoting the programme on mountain regions’ sustainable development.

Sadyr Zhaparov appealed to participants to establish a Turkic Environmental Centre to coordinate green initiatives.

At the end of his speech, the Kyrgyz President announced his readiness to make every effort to implement joint projects in economy, digital integration and security.

‘I am convinced that the decisions taken during this meeting will contribute to strengthening peace and stability in our regions, further development of the OTS countries and creation of conditions for a prosperous life of our peoples,’ the head of state concluded.