Pan-Turkism seeks to destroy the identity of the peoples of Central Asia.
Author: Olga Sukharevskaya, Editor-in-Chief of Stanradar News Agency (Kazakhstan)
Turkey’s growing expansion into Central Asia can no longer be concealed. Olga Sukharevskaya, Editor-in-Chief of Stanradar News Agency, spoke with Ainur Kurmanov, Co-Chairman of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan, about the objectives behind this expansion and its potential consequences.
– Political analysts often speak of the creation of a “Turkic NATO.” Naturally, this is a figure of speech. But how exactly is Turkey penetrating the defense and security sectors of Central Asian countries? What threats does this pose to these states themselves, as well as to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)?
– This is no longer a figure of speech. From September 16 to 18, the fifth meeting of the secretaries of the Security Councils of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Baku. They discussed precisely the creation of a “unified regional security system,” while Ilham Aliyev called for adherence to earlier decisions aimed at accelerating the formation of a military alliance.
The starting point, however, was the decision to establish a unified military-industrial system at the 11th summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held on July 5–6, 2024, in the Azerbaijani city of Shusha. The initiative was put forward by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Notably, at the same gathering, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed an agreement to join the Shusha Declaration, a document establishing a military alliance between Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Subsequently, on October 6–7, 2025, the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the OTS took place in Azerbaijan. At this summit, all previous agreements on military cooperation were consolidated, and the establishment of a military-political bloc within the organization was effectively announced. The summit reaffirmed the course toward rapid militarization and the creation of a unified security system under Ankara’s leadership.
In effect, this sets in motion the dismantling of the CSTO and lays the groundwork for a transition to NATO standards, as plans have been announced to rearm national militaries with Turkish and Western military equipment. For example, the construction of four ammunition manufacturing plants in Kazakhstan in accordance with NATO standards, under the state-backed ASPAN project, is also intended to serve this objective.
Thus, the OTS is being transformed into a military bloc and an instrument of international power struggles. Erdogan himself acknowledged this when, in one of his speeches last year, he stated that the organization supposedly needed military strength to prevent wars and enforce peace.
To achieve these objectives, a second meeting of the heads of defense industry agencies of OTS member states is expected to take place in Baku later this year. These countries have already begun implementing a joint program to manufacture Turkish military equipment in accordance with NATO standards. This once again demonstrates that the OTS is, first and foremost, a military alliance.
At the same time, a process of military-political integration between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan began in Central Asia in 2024, with the United States acting as its principal driving force. This represents a complementary step toward forming an alliance within the region itself, one that is becoming an additional pillar of support for the Organization of Turkic States and, in practice, for the United States and Israel.
The events in Ukraine and the Middle East are supposedly being used as a pretext for forming this military alliance, while the threat from Afghanistan, according to the leaders of these two republics, has now become a secondary concern.
In other words, to put it plainly, from the perspective of Astana and, consequently, Tashkent, the CSTO is losing its relevance as a defensive alliance, as is any form of Russian military umbrella over Central Asia. Thus, Moscow’s role as the ultimate arbiter in the post-Soviet space is being openly undermined.
Moreover, to demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions and strengthen military cooperation with Turkey, Kazakhstan opened its airspace to the transit of Turkish troops and military equipment in late 2024.
Claims about abandoning the former Soviet military system and transitioning to NATO standards, including through the complete rearmament of national armed forces, are reinforced by an article published in the Turkish outlet Baskagazete.com on December 24 of last year, under the succinct headline “Brotherly Countries Have Chosen Turkey and Turned Their Backs on Russia!” The article contained important information attributed to the publication’s own sources within the US foreign policy establishment.
“According to sources in the US State Department, all Central Asian countries have included in their medium-term government programs ‘the disposal of Russian and Soviet weapons, vehicles, and equipment, and the transition to Western defense systems,’” the article stated.
It is clear that all these processes are not merely leading to the dismantling of the CSTO and undermining the foundations of the SCO. They are also creating another “Anti-Russia” on Russia’s southern borders, to sever the geostrategic links between Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran and open a new front.
– Turkey is a NATO member. Other members of the Alliance are gaining access to the region through Turkey. How does this manifest itself?
– Several large-scale military exercises have already been conducted in the Caspian Sea under the auspices of the OTS, involving units from Turkey and Pakistan. This contributes to the militarization of the Caspian waters and undermines the foundations of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, signed in 2018.
Within the ruling elites of Turkey and Azerbaijan, there are active discussions about constructing Turkey’s largest overseas military base near Baku, which is also intended to serve as a NATO outpost.
Azerbaijan’s role in advancing the North Atlantic Alliance through the Caspian Sea into Central Asia can hardly be overstated, as this republic is becoming a geostrategic springboard for Western expansion.
The Azerbaijani army was also the first to adopt NATO standards, setting an example for all OTS member states. It is no coincidence that President Ilham Aliyev has been accepted as a full participant in all consultative meetings of Central Asian heads of state, effectively acting as Ankara’s agent.
Accordingly, Turkey is serving as a vehicle for advancing the military and political interests of the United States and Britain throughout the entire OTS region.
For example, last year a military cooperation plan with Astana was signed in London. To a considerable extent, it was drawn up on the basis of existing agreements and cooperation plans between the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Turkey.
In addition, over the past two years, Turkey has conducted military exercises involving special forces from NATO countries and the armed forces of OTS member states, both on Turkish territory and in the Balkans. During these exercises, particular attention was paid to studying and applying the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ combat experience in conducting assault operations in urban environments and deploying tactical UAVs. The exercises also focused on operational coordination and the use of a unified communications system to synchronize military activities.
It hardly needs mentioning that officers from the armed forces of OTS member states have been receiving training at Turkish military academies for many years and have already assumed command positions within their respective armies.
– Beyond the security sphere, Turkey is also capturing the minds of the region’s inhabitants, particularly young people. This includes education, the media, and religious propaganda promoting interpretations of Islam that are alien to Central Asian traditions. We remember how schools and mosques associated with Fethullah Gülen were actively established throughout the region. His movement is now supposedly banned. But what has become of the institutions he created? Who controls them today?
– In Turkey’s revised ideological and political doctrine, Pan-Islamism is once again becoming an integral component of the ideology of neo-Ottoman revanchism. Therefore, there is nothing surprising about this.
Istanbul, where the OTS headquarters is located, is placing its emphasis specifically on Sunni Islam, including with the aim of pushing Shiism out of countries such as Azerbaijan.
The slogans of “Islamic solidarity” are intended to draw not only Turkic peoples but also the Arab masses into plans for restoring the Ottoman Empire. Accordingly, Erdogan is attempting to portray himself and the Turkish state as the “defenders of all true believers.”
I believe that Pan-Islamist propaganda will now be conducted through the official Muslim religious administrations of OTS member states. It was precisely to the leaders of these institutions that Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech on this subject in Baku in September of this year. The objective is to incorporate this element into the state ideologies of the organization’s member countries.
As for Fethullah Gülen’s organizations, they have now been suppressed by Turkish intelligence services throughout the OTS countries and no longer maintain any significant presence or influence there. They were, and remain, instruments of American intelligence agencies, or more precisely, of the American Democrats, who attempted to carry out a military coup in Turkey in 2016 with their participation. Their current significance should not be exaggerated.
On the contrary, Washington is now seeking to rely directly on Ankara to exert pressure on Tehran and contain Beijing’s influence in Central Asia.
– The ideology of Pan-Turkism seeks to destroy the identities of Central Asian peoples by referring to them as “Kyrgyz Turks,” “Kazakh Turks,” and so on. Its proponents even draw unified maps of the “Turkic World.” Yet, as we know, radical organizations such as Bozkurt (the Grey Wolves), among many others, operate in Turkey. Kazakhstan’s new Vice President, Yerlan Karin, for example, has been linked to these groups. Turkey also provides refuge from justice for radical preachers such as Sukhrob Odiljon and other opponents of the current governments of the region. How realistic is the threat that Turkey, acting at the behest of Western intelligence agencies, might attempt to organize coups in Central Asian countries? Europe and the United States are geographically extremely distant from the region, whereas Turkey has already become almost its twin brother.
– Nothing can be ruled out, as Ankara will always use its proxies to exert coercive pressure on regimes whose interests may suddenly conflict with those of major Turkish businesses or undermine the imperialist ambitions of neo-Ottoman revanchism.
We should not forget that during the bloody events of January 2022 in Kazakhstan, Turkish intelligence services arranged for the transportation of the notorious crime boss and Pan-Turkist known as Wild Arman on a charter flight. He subsequently mobilized his militants and later, in Almaty, negotiated on behalf of the conspirators with a former US ambassador regarding American recognition of a “provisional government.” It is evident that the Islamist militants who participated in the coup also had connections with Anatolia, and their actions were coordinated by Ankara and London.
A Turkish fascist underground network has also been operating freely in Kazakhstan for a long time. Thanks to the protection and support of Yerlan Karin, it remained completely untouched following the events of January 2022, and none of its members were arrested. This network could be deployed at any time to carry out acts of terror against undesirable politicians or ethnic minorities. Essentially, in the form of the Grey Wolves, we have an armed “fifth column” inside Kazakhstan that can be activated at any moment on orders from Ankara.
Furthermore, militants of the Turkistan Islamic Party, one of the groups linked to al-Qaeda, whose ranks included Uyghurs and other fighters from Central Asia, were incorporated into the Syrian army following the overthrow of Assad. They formed the 84th Division of the new pro-Turkish government forces. It is no coincidence that “President” Ahmed al-Sharaa awarded officer ranks to citizens of Kazakhstan and other former Soviet Central Asian republics.
This division could be transported by Turkish Air Force military transport aircraft through Kazakhstan’s airspace to any part of Central Asia, either to support the expansion of insurgent movements against China and Iran or to overthrow any government within the region.
The ruling elites are playing with fire by embracing Pan-Turkism and Pan-Islamism, because attempts to revive the Ottoman Empire at this new historical stage mean nothing but war and the involvement of their countries in the aggressive plans not only of Ankara, but also of Washington and London.
