TDT Founding Secretary General Akıncı opposed Russia's inclusion in the organization: 'Will we accept every country with a Turkish minority?'

At the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (TDT) held in Ankara last week, Russia received a positive reaction to Kazakhstan President Kasım Cömert Tokayev's words about including Russia in the organization.

'IT WILL BE VERY NATURAL'

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated the other day, as quoted by TRT Russian, that they had not received an official invitation in this direction, but that the issue was likely to come up in their talks with Kazakhstan. "There are many regions in Russia whose people are historically Turkish. Therefore, it would be quite understandable, appropriate and natural for Russia to participate in the work of such an organization," he said. He stated that participation could be on the agenda not at the level of the Turkic republics in Russia, but as a whole country.

'I WAS SURPRISED BY TOKAYEV'S WORDS'

Tokayev's statement caused criticism from some groups in Turkey. Criticisms were based on the fact that while it was desired to establish a Turkish-based unity in the former Soviet geography, it was not meaningful to include Russia in the structure. Founding Secretary General of the Organization of Turkish States, retired ambassador Halil Akıncı, evaluated the statements and discussions made to Cumhuriyet.

First of all, Akıncı stated that Tokayev's words at the summit surprised him and said, "Because such things are discussed and talked about in advance and such a statement is made at the end. Here it is understood that this statement was made without consulting others beforehand. It means that Mr. Tokayev thought of it at that moment or saw it as appropriate. Some things come to the Turk's mind later. Our statesmen used to think of such things recklessly, and we tried to implement them, even if they were unrealistic."

'KAZAKHSTAN-RUSSIA RELATIONS ARE SPECIAL'

Focusing on Kazakhstan-Russia relations, Akıncı said, "When Kazakhstan became independent in the early 1990s, the Kazakh population was 39 percent. The population in the northern part of the country was mostly Russian. Today, there are over 75 percent Kazakhs, but there is still a significant Russian population. For this reason, Kazakhstan's relations with Russia are special. When a rebellion-like situation arose in the past, Russian soldiers suppressed it. But this was because Kazakhstan wanted to be a part of Russia." "It doesn't mean that it just wants to maintain closer relations with Russia."

'RUSSIA SHOULD NOT ENTER THE ORGANIZATION'

Stating that Tokayev's proposal can be evaluated within the organization, Akıncı said, "And it will most likely not be accepted. The reason is this: TDT was established as an organization with a limited number of members based on kinship and language. It is an interstate organization... If we look at it with the logic of 'There are Turkish communities in Russia', there are Turkish minorities in Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and many other places. "Are we going to include all these countries? There is an organization called TURKSOY, which includes all Turkish communities. Crimean Tatars and Yakuts in Russia are included in this. Let's be neighbors and friends with Russia, but there is no way to include them in the organization," he said.

DOES TDT CRACK?

So where is TDT heading? Do both Tokayev's statements and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's failure to come to Ankara indicate a rift within the organization? To the question "Has TDT been injured in these processes?", Halil Akıncı said, "It gets injured, but a mosquito bite is also a wound. What happened with Azerbaijan showed that Azerbaijan and Turkey are a single people. When we leave out the troll posts, this friction was very useful. Everyone's opinion was revealed. There were those who found Azerbaijan right in Turkey, and Turkey in Azerbaijan. But the majority was at the point of 'Let's not drag this out too much.'" "There are 129 flights a week between the countries. With so much interaction, ties cannot be broken," he said.

WHY IS TST IMPORTANT?

Akıncı also talked about the concrete benefits of TDT: "There are 64 committees on cooperation in the organization. These committees envisage cooperation between all layers of the people and the state. While there was friction between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the TDT Defense Industry Cooperation Committee was meeting in Baku. And they were not affected by this in any way, they continued the meeting. This Middle Corridor issue has been going on for years. When the Zangezur Corridor begins to operate, a direct contact will be established between Turkey and the Turkish states. This "It is very important. There are also 300 million Turks in the world. They extend from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Japan. Think about the impact that such a group will have in Eurasia. When we are together, we will have a weight. Some things will not happen immediately, but gradually."