TURKESTAN, Kazakhstan, May 15. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are becoming engines of integration within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Rizzat Tasym, a Kazakh political analyst, international relations expert, and director of the Center for Institutional Analysis and Reform at the Kazakhstan Institute of Social Development, told reporters on the sidelines of the informal summit of OTS, Trend's special correspondent reports.
He said that the two countries play a key role in transforming Turkic cooperation from a cultural and historical perspective to practical economic and logistical ones.
According to him, expectations for the current OTS summit in Turkestan are positive. The organization's countries possess significant potential, which is now being actively translated into concrete results.
"The time has come to harness the historical, spiritual, and cultural potential of the OTS member countries and translate it into practical applications. There are serious grounds for this," the expert noted.
According to Tasym, IMF data shows that the combined GDP of the OTS countries by the end of 2025 will be approximately $2.3 trillion - approximately 2% of global GDP.
"In a short period of time, trade turnover along this route has increased fivefold. It is the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (with the active participation of Türkiye) that has become the main driver of the development of this logistics route," he said.
Digitalization was named one of the summit's top priorities. The expert emphasized that this is precisely the area where tangible results can be quickly achieved through the simplification of customs procedures, the integration of databases, the creation of unified standards, and the introduction of digital financial instruments.
"If the cultural and spiritual foundation is reinforced by an economic foundation, the amalgamated territorial communities (ATCs) can become a serious system-forming platform in an era of global change," Tasym noted.
He also emphasized the political importance of strengthening their own routes for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, including linking them with other digitalization initiatives and projects, in particular the installation of an internet cable between the two countries.
The expert praised the development of the civilian dimension of cooperation: following the successful first civil sector summit in Azerbaijan, it will become a tradition this year.
He specifically mentioned the Agro-Territorial Community Investment Fund, with a capital of approximately $600 million, where digitalization is expected to be a priority funding area.
Speaking about military-technical cooperation, Tasym noted that Azerbaijan can share valuable combat experience with its partners, particularly Kazakhstan. Strengthening military-technical cooperation and joint exercises are expected, but the creation of a military alliance is not planned at this stage.
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