Ukraine’s Kyiv Post writes that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s proposal to bring Russia into the Organization of Turkic States has drawn sharp criticism from Crimean Tatar leaders and could mark the beginning of the bloc’s end.
According to the Kyiv Post, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev floated the proposal at the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit in Ankara on October 30, suggesting Russia be brought into the OTS+ format or granted observer status. The Kazakh leader justified the move by pointing to Moscow’s historical ties with the Turkic world and the millions of Turkic-speaking citizens living in Russia, including Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvash and Sakha.
The outlet reported that Refat Chubarov, chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, described the initiative as a possible Kremlin operation aimed at expanding its influence across the Turkic world. In a Facebook post, Chubarov noted Moscow’s immediate and positive reaction to the proposal, suggesting it pointed to coordination between Tokayev and the Kremlin. “I am convinced that Tokayev voiced exactly what Moscow is seeking,” he wrote.
Chubarov argued that Central Asian republics have in recent years deepened their ties within the OTS framework partly to reduce dependence on Russia, and that admitting Russia into the structure could undermine that policy. He added that admitting Russia would be contradictory given its ongoing military assault on Ukraine and its occupation of Crimea, and he called on member states to reject the initiative. The Kyiv Post said Chubarov believes the situation puts Turkey in a difficult position. The newspaper also raised a question of its own: if the presence of Turkic-speaking peoples in Russia justifies its admission, why has Tokayev not made the same proposal for Ukraine, which is home to Crimean Tatars, Karaites, Krymchaks and Gagauz people.
The dispute over observer status
According to the Kyiv Post, Kürşad Zorlu, deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said OTS rules require a country seeking observer status to recognize a Turkic or related language as official across its whole territory, and that joining through OTS+ would need unanimous approval from member states. The outlet noted that Tatar, Bashkir and Sakha hold official status only in individual Russian republics, and that Zorlu’s remarks do not necessarily reflect the final position of President Erdoğan’s government. The newspaper also cited Andrei Baklanov, deputy chairman of the Association of Russian Diplomats, who said the OTS could follow the precedent of 2005, when Russia became an observer at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The Kyiv Post further noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey signed defense-sector agreements worth more than $500 million in September 2026, which it described as a sign of Ankara’s growing military influence in the region.
