Response to Derya Soysal’s question following the NATO Parliamentary Speakers Summit in Brussels
TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Turkiye) Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş provided comprehensive answers to questions regarding Central Asia and the Turkistan region at the NATO Parliamentary Speakers Summit held in Brussels. When Central Asia expert Derya Soysal asked about Turkiye’s stance towards Turkistan, Kurtulmuş emphasized that the relations are based on brotherhood. He added, quoting Ahmet Demirok, that Turkmenistan-Turkiye relations are excellent. “After the Cyprus issue, negative perceptions arose towards Turkistan, but these states are our brothers, and Turkiye’s relations with them are excellent,” he said, then asked what more could be added to this.
Pointing out that some media and circles put pressure on these relations, Kurtulmuş stated, “The crisis between Turkiye and the Turkic states is behind us,” and continued, “We have extensively discussed these issues in the meetings of the Turkic Council with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan.”
“Some groups tried to exploit certain issues to overcome the warming relations between Turkiye and the Turkic states. I believe the crisis you mentioned is now behind us. During this process, my counterparts from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and most recently at the TurkPA General Assembly with friends from Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and all Turkic states, we had the opportunity to discuss these matters. Turkiye maintains very good relations with all states in the Turkic geography, both at the government level and state level. But most importantly, the peoples are already brothers; they are parts of one whole.”
Kurtulmuş stressed that the new world order is multi-centered:
“The Turkic world is a great power with a population of 300 million, spanning the geography from Transoxiana (Māwarāʼ al-Nahr) to Anatolia and from there to Europe. We have significant advantages in both natural resources and human power. Our bond is not only an alliance but a brotherhood law.”
He added,
“A new era is emerging in the world. Especially after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2022, the unipolar system collapsed and became a thing of the past. The bipolar system had already collapsed. Now, a new global system is being established, and we are still at the very beginning.
One of the fundamental features of this system is that it is multi-centered. It is not ‘multipolar’ but multi-centered. We are entering a period where many different cultural centers will emerge and be influential in world politics.”
Referring to some provocations concerning the clauses about the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus in the agreement signed in Samarkand on April 4, Kurtulmuş said, “However, we overcame these through bilateral and multilateral talks and continue to do so.”
He added, “Also, during Kazakh President Tokayev’s reception of us, the Speaker of the Assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was present. In other words, as an observer member, he was officially received by the head of state there.”
“I want to say this: occasionally there are misunderstandings and wrong practices. Let no one try to sow discord between us. Turkic states cannot be separated from each other, this is certain.”
Finally, he described the acceptance of the Speaker of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Assembly, Ziya Öztürkler, as an observer member in the Turkic Council as “a concrete indicator of how strong the relations among Turkic states are.”
“Turkic states cannot be separated; we will never allow discord to be sown between us.”
