The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS) is an international intergovernmental organisation whose main purpose is to promote comprehensive cooperation between Turkic-speaking countries. The organisation was established in accordance with the Nakhchivan Agreement signed at the Summit of the Heads of State of the Turkic-speaking countries on the 3rd of October 2009 in Nakhchivan.
The main goals and objectives of the CCTS are defined by the Nakhchivan Agreement and consist of the following:
- Strengthening mutual confidence among the members
- Maintaining peace in the region and beyond
- Promoting common positions on foreign policy issues
- Coordinating actions to combat international terrorism, separatism, extremism and trans-border crimes
- Promoting effective regional and bilateral cooperation in all areas of common interest
- Creating favourable conditions for trade and investment
- Aiming at comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development
- Expanding interaction in the fields of science, technology, education and culture
- Encouraging the interaction of mass media and wider communication
- Promoting the exchange of legal information and enhancing legal cooperation.
In order to fulfil the objectives and tasks of the CCTS, the following structures were established:
- Council of Heads of State
- Council of Foreign Ministers
- Senior Officials Committee
- Council of Elders
- Secretariat
- Coordination Committee
- Turkish Council Representation Office in Budapest.
The state that hosts the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State assumes the chair of the CCTS until the next summit.
Affiliated Institutions and Organisation
TURKSOY: The International Organisation of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) was established in 1993. Its centre is located in Ankara. The aim of the organisation is to develop cooperation between members in the fields of science, education, culture and art, to spread common values of the Turkic world to the mass public by promoting them at the international level and to deepen cultural ties among the Turkic speaking states.
TURKPA: The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA) was established by the Istanbul Agreement, signed in 2008, with its centre in Baku. TURKPA has the aim of deepening cooperation among the Parliaments of Turkic speaking countries.
The Turkic Academy: It was set up as a national institution of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2010. Its founding agreement was drafted with a view to giving the Turkic Academy an international structure to operate within the scope of the Turkic Council, signed at the Bishkek Summit on the 22nd to 23rd of August 2012. Its headquarters are situated in Nur-Sultan. It aims to coordinate and support scientific research carried out in the field of the Turkish language, literature, culture, history and ethnography. It also aims to conduct research on the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Turkic people, promoting their contributions to the development of the global civilisation and informing the public of their achievements.
The Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation’s founding document was signed at the Bishkek Summit on the 22nd to 23rd of August 2012. Its headquarters are situated in Baku. The fund provides assistance in the protection, study and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage through supporting and funding various activities, projects and programmes.
The Turkic Business Council was established in 2011. The organisation aims to enhance economic cooperation among the Turkic speaking countries through engaging business organisations and entities of the member states of the CCTS.
The Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established in 2019. It is responsible for the deepening of economic cooperation between the Turkic speaking states through business circles, chambers of trade and industry of the member states.
CCTS Summits
To date, 7 Summits of the CCTS (Almaty, Bishkek, Gabala, Bodrum, Nur-Sultan, Cholpan-Ata and Baku) have been held.
The 1st CCTS Summit on Economic Cooperation was held on the 20th to the 21st of October 2011 in Almaty.
The 2nd CCTS Summit was held on the 22nd to the 23rd of August 2012 in Bishkek. The theme of the summit was “Cooperation in education, science and culture”.
The first meeting of the heads of the customs authorities of the member states was held in Nakhchivan on the 5th of October 2012, and a declaration on the first meeting of the heads of the customs authorities of the CCTS was signed.
On the 16th of August 2013, the 3rd CCTS Summit was held in Gabala. The topic of the summit was “Transport and Connection”.
The 4th CCTS Summit on Cooperation in Tourism was held on the 4th to 5th of June 2014 in Bodrum.
The 5th CCTS Summit was held on the 10th to 11th of September 2015 in Nur-Sultan (Astana) on Cooperation in the field of media and information.
The 6th CCTS Summit was held on the 3rd of September 2018 in Cholpan-Ata on Youth and Sports.The 7th CCTS Summit was held on the 15th of October 2019 in Baku under the theme “Support for Small and Medium Enterprises”. The Republic of Azerbaijan currently chairs the CCTS.
The Extraordinary Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the CCTS was held on the 10th of April 2020 via video-conference on “Solidarity and cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic”. The “Baku Declaration of the Extraordinary Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States” was adopted at the Extraordinary Summit.
The parties were instructed by the Council of Heads of State to fully mobilise scientific, innovative, technological and medical potential in the fight against the pandemic.
In order to ensure the implementation of the decisions of the Extraordinary Summit, meetings of the heads of the agencies responsible for health, transport, economy, customs and migration of the CCTS member and observer countries were held via video conference. At the same time, the work on the implementation of the decisions made during the meetings continues within the framework of the mechanisms established between the relevant agencies.
On the 31st of March 2021, an informal CCTS Summit was held via video conference. The summit adopted the Turkestan Declaration. The city of Turkestan in Kazakhstan has also been declared the “Spiritual Capital” of the Turkic World.
CCTS attaches great importance to cooperation with international organisations. The organisation has already established relations with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation, the OSCE, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, the UN and the World Tourism Organisation.
The CCTS has always supported Azerbaijan's just position on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The CCTS Secretariat has made regular statements on the Tovuz events of July 2020 and the provocations carried out by Armenia since the 27th of September, CCTS Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev visited Ganja on the 20th of October 2020, and Armenia fired rockets at Ganja. He made a statement of solidarity on behalf of the Turkic world in connection with the capture. At the same time, the CCTS delegation visited the liberated Aghdam and Fizuli regions.