Azerbaijani business chief: OTS economies top $2.1 trillion GDP

The combined GDP of member states and observer countries of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) exceeded $2 trillion 111 billion at the end of 2025, while total trade turnover reached $1 trillion 127 billion, Mammad Musayev, President of the Azerbaijan Entrepreneurs Confederation (ASK), has stated.

Speaking at the business forum Economic Integration and Cooperation of OTS Countries: New Opportunities in Industry, Agriculture, Logistics and the Digital Sphere in Astana, he noted that with a population of more than 178 million people, the economic potential of OTS countries currently accounts for 2.8% of global GDP and 3.6% of world trade, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Musayev said that Turkic states are demonstrating dynamic growth amid global economic uncertainty. In 2025, Kyrgyzstan’s economy grew by 11.1%, Uzbekistan by 7.7%, Kazakhstan by 6.5%, Turkmenistan by 6.3%, Türkiye by 3.2%, and Azerbaijan by 1.4%, he said.

He emphasised that in the context of forming a new geo-economic order, integration among OTS countries is becoming a strategic necessity, with the Middle Corridor playing a key role as the safest, shortest, and most promising route between East and West.

The head of the confederation particularly highlighted Azerbaijan’s role, stating that under President Ilham Aliyev, the country has become one of the region’s main transport and logistics hubs thanks to projects such as the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway, the Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat, and the development of East–West and North–South corridors.

Musayev stressed that Azerbaijan’s GDP exceeded $76 billion in 2025, while banking sector assets reached $34 billion, noting stronger growth in the non-oil sector.

He made it clear that the need to create joint industrial zones, develop digital trade platforms, harmonise customs procedures, and expand cooperation in artificial intelligence, fintech, and “smart logistics.”

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov