Organisation of Turkic States and its Influence on Russian-Turkish Relations

After the Justice and Development Party came to power in Turkey, Ankara began to pursue an independent and proactive foreign policy. One of the key goals of Erdogan is to achieve regional leadership and transform Turkey into a leader of both the Muslim and Turkic world. In this regard, in 2009 the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey signed an agreement on the establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States (Turkic Council). In 2021 the Turkic Council was renamed the Organization of Turkic States. Turkey’s growing influence in the post-Soviet Turkic-speaking republics directly affects the interests of the Russian Federation, which leads to an even greater complication of the bilateral agenda.The article analyzes institutionalization of cooperation between Turkic-speaking countries within the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and its impact on the current state of Russian-Turkish relations. The evolution of pan-Turkist ideas and their transformation into a pragmatic project of “neo-Turkism”, where Turkey seeks to take a leading position, is considered. It examines the dual nature of the OTS's influence on relations between Moscow and Ankara, which simultaneously creates new points for geopolitical rivalry in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, but does not negate pragmatic partnership in other areas. It is concluded that OTS is becoming an important factor complicating the already multifaceted interaction between Russia and Turkey, forming a model of “competitive cooperation”, where both powers are forced to constantly balance between rivalry for influence and the need to solve common strategic problems.