The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Thursday celebrated the 13th anniversary of its foundation at a reception hosted by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Washington Hasan Murat Mercan in Washington, D.C.

The ambassadors and diplomats of OTS’s member states, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State overseeing policy for Southern Europe and the Caucasus Erika Olson, and many other American experts and NGO representatives attended the event assembled by Mercan on behalf of Türkiye, the current holder of the organization’s chairpersonship.

The OTS, formerly called the Turkic Council or the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, is an international organization comprising prominent independent Turkic countries that work together to elevate relations and the union among themselves.

Türkiye has prioritized the sovereignty, stability and welfare of Turkic states in Central Asia since the 1990s, Ambassador Mercan said while addressing the event.

The OTS originally emerged as a summit between the heads of Turkic states in 1991 and eventually became an international council in 2009, holding over 10 summits so far.

Highlighting how shared culture, history, language and kinship are key factors in the relations between Turkic states, Mercan said: "Today, we represent a population of nearly 300 million people. Only borders separate us and borders are a fact of life, however, connections between our people are becoming even more valuable."

The Turkish ambassador pointed out that the organization’s main purpose is to enhance mutual trust, political solidarity, peace and stability, as well as economic and technical cooperation between the states while supporting the Turkish cultural and historical legacy.

Türkiye will be handing over its term chairpersonship to Uzbekistan at the next summit that will be held in 2022. Mercan bid good luck to the country as they ready to take over the organization’s reins for the next year.

Also speaking at the event, Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Washington Javlon Vakhabov, too, underlined the importance of technological, commercial and economic cooperation between the member Turkic states.

"We will be combining our efforts on youth engagements, increasing tourism cooperation, and support for arts and science," Vakhabov promised.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State overseeing policy for Southern Europe and the Caucasus Olson also gave a brief speech at the reception.

Olson remarked that the collaboration of Turkic states was important against trials like security, global energy and food safety. "The United States would be honored to work with these countries," she said.

"While the U.S. is not a member of the organization, it has a lot to accomplish with it as a partner," Olson added. "There are many targets of common interest."

The organization’s Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev sent to the reception a video message thanking Ambassador Mercan for his hospitality.