Ministerial and Working Group Meetings

Organization of Turkic States holds Ministerial Meetings on educational issues to develop and implement special programs that help young Turkic generations to join the existing educational system. Since 2010, seven meetings of the Ministers of Education of the Member States were held.

-    The 1st Meeting of Ministers of Education was held on 10 August 2012 in Cholpon-Ata. 
-    The 2nd Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 22 November 2013 in Eskişehir
-    The 3rd Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 28 November 2014 in Baku.
-    The 4th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 5 September 2015 in Astana. 
-    The 5th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 15 March 2019 in Bishkek.
-    The 6th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 4 November 2021 in Istanbul. 
-    The 7th Meeting of the Ministers of Education was held on 14 June 2023 in Samarkand. 

During the Samarkand meeting Ministers discussed the issues on holding international contests and Olympiads within the framework of the OTS, the implementation of the tasks outlined in the Tashkent Declaration of UNESCO and the prospects of partnership in preschool education, as well as the Sister Schools Partnership Program. They also shared views on the current situation regarding the Orkhun Exchange Program of the Turkic Universities Union and reached a common understanding on the measures directed at strengthening and improving the said Program. The next meeting of Ministers of Education is scheduled in the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2024.

Cooperation among Universities

Structuring an inter-university union for the universities of the OTS Member States with a view to strengthening the existing cooperation among the institutions of higher education has been on the agenda of the Organization since its establishment. 

In this context, in the course of 2011-2012, the Secretariat carried out preparatory work to put this idea into practice. A core founding group consisting of universities designated by the Member States was structured. In line with the instructions of the Heads of State, the efforts to establish a University Union gained significant ground. Starting from the 1st Summit, the Heads of State welcomed the initiative to establish the Turkic Interuniversity Union, noting that such projects will contribute to the further development of relations between scientific institutions, educational institutions, and scientists, as well as providing enriching experiences for university students. 

At the 4th OTS Summit, the Heads of State appreciated the endorsement of the “Directive for the Establishment of the Turkic University Union and its Higher Education Area” during the Second Meeting of the Ministers of Education and urged the continuation of technical meetings aimed at full-operationalization of the Union, and instructed relevant Ministries and state institutions to implement necessary measures to this end; and supported the organization of the First General Assembly of the Turkic University Union (TURKUNIB) hosted by Atatürk University, former Chair University-in-Office, in October 2014.

Lately the 7th General Assembly of the Turkic Universities Union of the Organization of Turkic States (TURKUNIB) was hosted by the Azerbaijan State University of Economics, the Chair University-in-office of the TURKUNIB on 20 May 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The General Assembly was attended by the high level officials, University Rectors, Vice-Rectors, and representatives of the member universities of the Union. Within the scope of the agenda, the Turkish universities made presentations on the matter of strengthening and further institutionalization TURKUNIB. During the meeting, a decision on adoption of new member universities to TURKUNIB was taken.

Due to the increase in the number of TURKUNIB Member Universities and the intensification of its activities, the OTS Secretariat organized the Special Meeting of Rectors on 6-7 June 2023 in Samarkand – the “Capital of the Turkic civilization”.

In accordance with the agenda of the Meeting, the Parties discussed the modalities of the TURKUNIB, the current opportunities and challenges of the Orkhun Exchange Program, and elaborated the Road Map on the activities of the TURKUNIB for 2023-2024.

Following the Special Meeting, the Parties also participated at a scientific Workshop titled “Afrasiyab (Alp Er Tonga) as a historical figure who laid the foundations of the Turkic statehood”, which was organized by the Uzbek side in cooperation with the OTS Secretariat. 

Orkhun Process

The TURKUNIB has many lines of action, one of them is the Orkhun Exchange Program. The Secretariat has organized 6 meetings at the level of Rectors and Vice-Rectors and 6 General Assemblies. The former helps coordinate the activities within the Union while the latter adopts necessary decisions relating to the organizations of the Union.

The Secretariat advanced intensely on the way to making the Orkhun process a fully-fledged exchange program among students and academic staff of the Organization of Turkic States Member States. Over the past years, the Organization of Turkic States convened a variety of different thematic meetings aiming at integrating diverse educational modalities of the member universities, such as the Bologna Process, Erasmus Plus, and the European Credit Transfer System. These meetings included different sectoral and technical gatherings, field studies on the spot, and extraordinary conventions. As a result, the parties adopted the draft regulation of the program, which was a massive step in its realization. The sides started the pilot phase of the project in the academic year 2017-2018, during which 43 students of member universities from the departments of International Relations and Political Science benefited from the program.

Cooperation among the Schools

The cooperation among the schools includes three main focus areas: The Exchange Program for students, the Exchange Program for educational professionals, and the Sister School Project. With the assistance of the respective Ministries of Education, Organization of Turkic States organized two exchange programs for the students of the secondary/high schools in Türkiye (2016) and in Azerbaijan (2018). The projects proved to be useful instruments for the students to understand similar cultural values and perspectives. They also enhance the familiarization of students with other Turkic languages and increase awareness and general knowledge of the students about the brotherly Turkic states.