Azerbaijan’s minister pushes for unified Turkic higher education space at OTS meeting

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev took part in the ninth meeting of education ministers of the Organisation of Turkic States Organisation of Turkic States, where delegates advanced plans to strengthen academic integration and build a shared higher education space across the Turkic world.

The meeting, held in Turkestan, Kazakhstan, brought together education ministers under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, Caliber.Az reports, citing the ministry.

Participants reviewed cooperation under the “Vision of the Turkic World – 2040” and the OTS 2022–2026 strategy, alongside commitments adopted at previous summits.

Discussions focused on expanding academic mobility, strengthening inter-university cooperation and developing joint education programmes for students and academic staff. Ministers also examined steps to reinforce the Union of Turkic Universities (TÜRKÜNİB) and to establish more structured collaboration in higher education across member and observer states.

Amrullayev welcomed ongoing initiatives within the OTS framework, saying they would broaden opportunities for academic exchange and deepen integration between education systems in the region. He also presented Azerbaijan’s proposal to create a more institutionalised mechanism for higher education cooperation within the Turkic world.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint communiqué and approval of a series of strategic documents aimed at advancing long-term educational collaboration among member states.

By Aghakazim Guliyev