The 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held on 7 October 2025 in Gabala, Azerbaijan under the theme “Regional Peace and Security,” produced outcomes of direct and lasting importance for the higher education community of the Turkic world.

The Summit gathered the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan – Ilham Aliyev, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Sadyr Zhaparov, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Shavkat Mirziyoyev – together with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, National Leader of the Turkmen People Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, and OTS Secretary General Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev. The leaders adopted the Gabala Declaration, established an “OTS+” format for engagement with external partners, and adopted a decision on the development of TURKSOY. Turkmenistan was welcomed as an Observer in the Turkic Academy and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, and the Chairmanship-in-Office passed from Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan.

For universities, the most significant element of the Summit lies in its education provisions. According to the OTS, the Gabala Declaration endorsed the reorganization of the Orhun Exchange Programme and the establishment of a Turkic World Higher Education Area – the two structural reforms around which TURKUNIB's current agenda is built. The Secretary General noted that the Organization now coordinates multilateral cooperation in over forty sectors, “ranging from economic integration and security to education, innovation, and space.”

The Summit's decisions were reflected almost immediately in practice: one week later, the 8th General Assembly of TURKUNIB in Tashkent admitted 62 new member universities and took forward the concept of a Permanent Secretariat and a funded Orhun Exchange Programme.

The Gabala Summit confirmed that higher education, science and innovation are no longer peripheral items on the Turkic cooperation agenda but central pillars of it – providing TURKUNIB and its member universities with a mandate at the highest political level to accelerate the construction of a common higher education space.

Photo: Organization of Turkic States (turkicstates.org)

Photo: Organization of Turkic States (turkicstates.org)

Photo: Organization of Turkic States (turkicstates.org)

Based on official OTS reporting: The 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States Convened in Gabala, Azerbaijan