Addressing the Informal Summit of the OTS, President Erdoğan said: “In today’s world, cybersecurity, just like land, air and maritime security, is vital and essential. During our next rotating presidency, we aim to further the coordination and cooperation in the field of cybersecurity within the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held under the theme of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, in Turkistan, Kazakhstan.
“I hope that the Turkic world will continue to strengthen its ties with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”
Noting that participation of the Turkish Cypriots, an integral part of the Turkic world, in the summit makes the gathering more meaningful, President Erdoğan said: “I am very pleased to see President Tufan Erhürman at the Turkistan summit. I hope that the Turkic world will continue to strengthen its political, economic and cultural ties with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).”
“Lagging behind in digital transformation would pose a threat to our independence”
“In order to have a greater voice and influence in the world of the future, we must elevate our cooperation, particularly in technology, to the highest level. In this regard, I find it highly appropriate that our Summit is being held under the theme of artificial intelligence and digital development. It is of critical importance that we adopt a vision of a Turkic world that develops through digitalization to shape the future. 115 years later, it is now time for us to add ‘unity in digital vision’ to Ismail Bey Gaspirali’s maxim of ‘unity in language, work and opinion.’ This vision should be built upon an understanding of highly qualified human capital, strong digital infrastructure and data-based public administration, and our digital interconnectivity should be strengthened. Developing joint technology projects will undoubtedly contribute to this vision. We are aware that lagging behind in digital transformation would pose a threat to our independence. We need to take an accurate approach to artificial intelligence and see it as an opportunity in order to prevent it from turning into a tool of domination.”
“In today’s world, cybersecurity is vital and essential”
Stressing the importance of ensuring international justice in digital development, just like in all other areas, President Erdoğan said: “Closing the digital gap between developed countries and the least developed countries forms the foundation of our approach to this issue. We attach importance to the cooperation between the United Nations Technology Bank, located in Gebze, and the OTS members and observers. We should remain on high alert against the areas of new risks presented by AI technologies. Next-generation threats against our databanks and critical national infrastructure are the aspects of digital transformation that should be managed carefully. In today’s world, cybersecurity, just like land, air and maritime security, is vital and essential. During our next rotating presidency, we aim to further the coordination and cooperation in the field of cybersecurity within the Organization of Turkic States.”
“Artificial intelligence-based initiatives should be supported”
President Erdoğan said: “The progress we have made thus far in the area of culture constitutes one of the most important pillars of the Turkic unification. It was our collective success that during the 43rd UNESCO General Conference held last year in Samarkand, December 15 was declared as the World Turkic Language Family Day. It is important to ensure the use of the Common Turkic Alphabet across a wide range of areas, from education to culture, and from academic cooperation to digital transformation. We believe that artificial intelligence-based initiatives such as the Turkish Language Model, which will enhance the visibility of the richness of our common language in the digital world, should be supported. Through models such as the Turkic World Civil Society Support System, we can strengthen our digital cooperation in this field.
“In the face of geopolitical challenges, we should reinforce our consultative mechanisms and coordination”
President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows: “The crises taking place in our immediate region have once again demonstrated the strategic value of the Turkic World acting in solidarity. In the face of geopolitical challenges, we should reinforce our consultative mechanisms and coordination. It would be beneficial to activate the OTS Plus format without delay. The increasing contacts among our leaders and us confirms that the Turkic world has gained high-level reflexes in the face of common issues. As the ongoing crisis centered on the Strait of Hormuz demonstrates, transportation projects that interconnect the Turkic world, particularly the Middle Corridor, will remain a priority for us for many more years. Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Ukraine, and many other crises indicate that we need to strengthen our defense and increase our cooperation in the field of industry. As Türkiye, we are ready to share with the members of our Organization the experience we have gained in the defense industry, which we have shaped through high technology. We attach importance to the regular convening of meetings of defense industry institutions within our Organization.”
