According to the South China Morning Post (December 26) Yuan Peng, President of the influential Beijingbased China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), wrote on the think tank’s social
media account that an upgrade to a grouping of Turkic-speaking states is adding to “extreme uncertainty” in
Central Asia. Yuan Peng said“[It] has swiftly transformed into its current form and it’s obvious that it’s
aiming at something beyond an ‘organisation’.” Yuan Peng was referring to the Cooperation Council of
Turkic-speaking States, which was renamed the 'Organisation of Turkic States' in November during its eighth summit in Istanbul, and comprising Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, three of
which share borders with China’s Xinjiang region. Observer members include Hungary and Turkmenistan.
Yuan Peng warned that the Turkic states organisation was built on “common history, common language,
common identity and common culture” and “[It] is trying to imitate the European Union, the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, the Arab League, and to form a so-called league of Turkic states.” He assessed that
“This means a new force is rising in the heartland of world geopolitics, adding to the European Union, the
Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.” Yuan Peng argued that the
formation of the organisation added to the “extreme uncertainty” in the region already arising from the
confrontation between Russia and Europe, Russia-Ukraine tensions, Turkey’s ambitions, and the changing
political landscape in Afghanistan. Zan Tao, a historian who specialises in Turkey and Central Asia, however
advanced a differing view and suggested Beijing should be cautious when assessing the group’s short-term
impact, given its internal division and influence by major powers such as Russia. He said “In the short term,
we should be prudent in assessing its direct impact. Historically speaking, lots of international cooperation
in Central Asia hasn’t seen much substantial progress … In the long term, it should deserve more attention
and research". “The idea of pulling together Turkic-speaking nations to form a federation or state – what we
usually call pan-Turkism – is only an illusion by some.”
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