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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