The Importance of The Organization of Turkish States in Turkey's Relations with Central Asian States

This article examines the strategic function performed by the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Türkiye’s Central Asia policy in light of institutional developments between 2021 and 2026. It aims to identify the organization’s internal capabilities, external environment, and capacity to deepen cooperation between Türkiye and the Central Asian states. Within a qualitative case-study design, official declarations, strategic documents, reports by international organizations, and peer-reviewed scholarship are assessed through document analysis and process tracing. SWOT factors are coded across political-institutional, trade-transport, energy, security, and cultural-humanitarian dimensions and converted into strategic combinations through a TOWS matrix. The findings identify shared identity, Trans-Caspian connectivity, and a networked institutional ecosystem as the organization’s principal strengths, while consensus-based governance, limited intra-organizational trade, logistical bottlenecks, and divergent foreign-policy orientations constrain implementation capacity. Its theoretical contribution is the model of “selective functional institutionalization”, identity generates political trust, whereas sustainable outcomes depend on specific regimes, measurable indicators, and shared ownership among member states.

Türkiye, Central Asia, Organization of Turkic States

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