ANKARA (Dispatches) – The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) concluded its 13th Summit in Ankara on Friday, adopting the Ankara Declaration and transferring the rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan to Türkiye.
The proceedings, however, were overshadowed by the conspicuous absence of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who skipped the summit despite a personal invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Azerbaijan was represented at the heads-of-state level by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who stood alongside Erdoğan for the protocol family photo and signed the joint declaration on Baku’s behalf. 
The Azerbaijani presidency cited a “dense working schedule” and Aliyev’s planned participation in the FIFA U-15 World Cup closing ceremony in Baku on October 30 as reasons for his absence.
The no-show was widely interpreted as a deliberate signal amid unusual friction between the two allied states. 
Tensions had escalated in recent weeks after Azerbaijan’s September decision to ban hijab-wearing girls from educational institutions, a move criticized by former Erdoğan adviser Oktay Saral and other Turkish figures. 
Russian business daily Kommersant described Aliyev’s last-minute cancellation as “demonstrative” and a clear reflection of serious strain in Baku-Ankara relations, particularly notable given that the summit was the occasion for Azerbaijan to hand over the OTS chairmanship it had held since 2025.
Despite his absence, Aliyev sent a letter to Erdoğan on October 29 marking the 103rd anniversary of the Turkish Republic, addressing him as “my dear brother” and emphasizing that “Azerbaijan and Türkiye are bound by genuine friendship and brotherly ties that have withstood the tests of history”. 
The letter referenced the 2021 Shusha Declaration, which elevated bilateral relations to an alliance level.
In his summit remarks, Erdoğan stressed unity among Turkic states, saying “there is no room for division or discord in the Turkic world,” and expressed support for Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization efforts, noting that lasting peace in the South Caucasus would create opportunities across the Turkic world. 
Bayramov, speaking at the summit, highlighted transportation and energy connectivity including the Middle Corridor and Zangezur Corridor, and referenced a 2027 road map for defense industry cooperation.
The Ankara Declaration adopted at the summit outlined cooperation on security and defense industry, trade facilitation, connectivity, and counter-terrorism, while welcoming the outcomes of OTS defense industry meetings and encouraging exploration of a joint Defense Industry College program hosted by Türkiye.
The declaration also emphasized the strategic value of the Middle Corridor, Zangezur Corridor, and China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway for regional connectivity.