According to representatives of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, Russia does not meet the requirements for joining the Organization of Turkic States as an observer. The statement was made by Kürşad Zorlu, the party's deputy chairman overseeing relations with Turkic countries, in a comment to Anadolu Agency.
Requirements for observer status and alternative formats of interaction
Kürşad Zorlu called the issue of including new members "delicate and important," recalling the criteria set out in the OTS charter. Under these requirements, observer status may be granted to states where one of the Turkic or related languages has the status of a state or official language throughout the entire territory of the country, and not only in one region.
If a state does not meet this criterion, another format of cooperation is envisaged — the "OTS+" model. This model provides for flexible interaction with third countries, which may include high-level meetings involving foreign ministers or heads of state by joint decision of all members of the organization.
In addition, Zorlu proposed resuming cultural cooperation with Russian regions within the framework of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY). Currently, the observer members of this organization are Altai, Tuva, Chuvashia, Bashkortostan, Yakutia and Tatarstan.
