Turkey hosts 13th Organization of Turkic States summit in Ankara

Turkey hosted the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara on October 29-30, 2026, coinciding with the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. During the summit, Turkey assumed the rotating presidency of the organization from Azerbaijan. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the "Century of Turkey" vision and reiterated calls for the international community to recognize the "sovereign equality" of the Turkish Cypriots in the occupied north of Cyprus.

Throughout the event, President Erdogan and other officials urged member states to increase official contacts with the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which holds observer status within the OTS. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, who attended the summit, echoed these sentiments, claiming that the Turkish Cypriot side remains committed to a two-state solution based on sovereign equality. Turkish officials characterized the occupied territories as an integral part of the "Turkic world" and insisted on ending what they describe as the "unjust isolation" of the Turkish Cypriots. Meanwhile, the Turkish government continues to pursue its strategic goals of deepening economic, military, and diplomatic cooperation across the region, while maintaining its stance on the division of Cyprus.