Turkestan has long been a city of memory. Now it is becoming a city of ambition

The state visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Kazakhstan on the eve of the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Turkestan became not only a demonstration of diplomatic unity across the Turkic world, but also a signal of a gradual shift in the balance of influence across Eurasia.

Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will gather on May 15 in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan for an informal summit focused on artificial intelligence and digital development, in what may signal the bloc’s shift from an infrastructure-driven agenda toward technological integration.

The spring of 2026 is gradually turning the Caspian region into another frontline of global confrontation. While the world’s attention remains focused on the Strait of Hormuz, the Gaza Strip and the war in Ukraine, increasing signs indicate that a new geopolitical tension is forming further north — between Iran, Russia, the United States, Israel and the countries of the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan is unexpectedly finding itself at the center of this troubling configuration.

Only a few months ago, the Iranian authorities presented the Strait of Hormuz as their main instrument of strategic pressure against the West. Nearly one fifth of global oil trade passes through this narrow maritime corridor, and Tehran long assumed that the threat of closing it could deter the United States and its allies from direct confrontation.