Turkology studies, which have left behind a century in the geocultural and geopolitical integration process of the Turkic world, constitute one of the most dynamic sub-disciplines of international relations today. The foundations of the idea of a common alphabet and an alphabet reform date back to Mirza Fatali Akhundov, a Turkic intellectual operating in Tbilisi in the 19th century. This vision gradually matured in the early 1900s and during the period of the first national government of the Republic of Azerbaijan between 1918 and 1921 through the efforts of intellectuals such as Farhad Aghazadeh. Although the aforementioned cultural integration initiative was briefly interrupted by the Soviet occupation, it flared up again in 1922; ultimately, it gained an institutional identity at the First Turkology Congress, which convened in Baku between February 26 and March 6, 1926, and laid a historical foundation with the “Unified New Turkic Alphabet.”
The gathering of scientists and state officials in the same city, in the same building, the Ismailiyya Palace[1], on February 27-28, 2026, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the aforementioned historical congress, symbolizes a strategic rebirth and geocultural integration beyond a mere commemoration event.
As is known, the Latin alphabet process, which lasted from 1926 to 1939 and was promising for integration, was tragically interrupted with the introduction of Stalinist totalitarian pressure mechanisms. The intellectuals who defended this ideal were labeled as “Turkist,” “Turanist,” “counter-revolutionary,” and “anti-Soviet” elements, and were liquidated, sacrificed, or exiled to Siberia during the Great Terror (Repressiya) period of 1937-1939. Subsequently, in 1939, all autonomous Turkic Soviet republics were forcibly transitioned to the Cyrillic alphabet, aiming to completely sever the linguistic and cultural ties among the Turkic world.
Although some of the Turkic republics that gained their independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 redirected their course back to the Latin alphabet, a complete regional synchronization and unity could not be achieved in this process. However, the alphabet-based integration initiative, which was adopted on March 21-23, 1993, but whose official steps were long delayed, finally gained historical momentum on September 11, 2024, with the adoption of the “Common Turkic Alphabet” by the Turkic Republics under the leadership of the Turkish Language Association (TDK). This turning point initiated the slow but determined realization of the century-old ideal of “unity in language” and built the solid ground of contemporary institutional cooperation.
As the most concrete indicator of this historical background transforming into state policy, the historical decree signed by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in Baku on October 22, 2025, formalized the state-level celebration of the 100th anniversary of the First Turkology Congress, which convened in 1926 to take steps toward the integration of the Turkic world, such as a common Latin alphabet and cultural integration, but whose delegates were liquidated by Soviet repressions in the 1930s.
Deriving its legal basis from the final declaration of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Gabala Summit on October 6-7, 2025, this document tasked the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, AMEA, and the Ministry of Science and Education with preparing and implementing a comprehensive action plan, while delegating the administrative solutions of the process to the Cabinet of Ministers, thereby securing Ismail Bey Gaspirali’s century-old ideal of “Unity in language, thought, and action” with a strong and institutional state policy today.[2] From the perspective of international relations, this step is a successful example of how cultural diplomacy is institutionalized as a soft power tool complementing hard power elements.
In accordance with these decisions, a comprehensive symposium was organized in Baku on February 27-28, 2026, in cooperation with AMEA, the Yunus Emre Institute, TDK, Marmara University, and Khazar University, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the First Turkology Congress. In the event, which started in the historical building that hosted the congress exactly a century ago and continued at Khazar University on the second day, high-level officials from Azerbaijan and Türkiye, as well as scientists from various Turkic republics, drew attention to the contemporary meaning of the 1926 spirit. In the speeches and organized panels, it was emphasized that objectives such as a common literary language, alphabet reform, terminological unity, and cultural integration are not merely historical legacies but strategic elements that build the common future of the Turkic world, delivering the message that this responsibility inherited from the past must be carried into the future with concrete steps and strong collaborations.[3] In this context, the thesis that contemporary Turkic states can only resist asymmetrical threats in the global system by remaining on a common civilizational denominator was strongly elaborated by academicians.
The resounding of the historical steps taken in 1926 for the academic and cultural construction of the Turkic world in the very same historical hall exactly a century later proves that integration among Turkic states is not mere nostalgia but a living and exponentially growing vision. Transforming into a multidisciplinary feast of knowledge with the participation of scientists from different geographies, this gathering strongly emphasizes that Turkology is not solely an academic field examining the past, but on the contrary, continues to be one of the most strategic bridges constructing the common future of the Turkic world and institutionalizing cultural diplomacy.[4]
The political will dimension of this institutional construction was clarified by the statements at the summit. The messages of the representatives from Türkiye speaking at the international conference themed around the First Turkology Congress held in Baku strikingly demonstrate how the historical seeds sown in 1926 are integrated with Türkiye’s state policy today. Drawing attention to the ideological bond between the congress decisions of a century ago and the Alphabet Revolution of the great leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, the Turkish representatives emphasized that the 34-letter Common Turkic Alphabet agreed upon today is a concrete fruit of this century-old vision, with the resolute support of President Erdoğan. Stating that this integration, which is growing increasingly stronger under the auspices of the OTS with the historical contributions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, is not a front against anyone; on the contrary, it offers a visionary solidarity model serving regional peace, trust, and stability, the representatives gave a strong signal that Turkology studies will also deepen by institutionalizing within the framework of the “Turkic World Vision Document.”[5]
The manifestation of this historical enthusiasm and language-based integration in Azerbaijan simultaneously with the internal political developments in Kazakhstan, the heart of Central Asia, serves as a pleasant coincidence and a complement to the regional decolonization process. Kazakhstan’s new draft constitution bears the characteristics of a visionary social contract shaped by the demands of the people and securing the fundamental cornerstones of the state. This initial draft, presented by the Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Bakyt Nurmukhanov, consisting of 11 chapters and 95 articles, centers on human capital, education, and science as strategic pillars, while clearly defining the country’s form of government as a “unitary presidential republic.” The registration at the constitutional level that the sole source of sovereignty is directly the people, and President Tokayev’s stipulation of a referendum for even the slightest amendments, demonstrate that Kazakhstan is leaving a much more robust state architecture for the future by sealing its unalterable red lines, such as independence, territorial integrity, and democratic transparency, directly with the will of the people.[6]
Read on a geopolitical plane, this constitutional reform is directly linked to the strengthening of the national government and the move to break Russian influence in the region by making the principal language, namely Kazakh Turkic, dominant. The entirely new constitution referendum that Kazakhstan will submit to a vote on March 15, 2026, is not merely a legal update; it is a historical test of political maturity that challenges the country’s transition from the highly centralized and personalized governance model that has persisted since 1995 to an institutional balance where power is shared. This radical transformation, shaped by Tokayev’s vision and re-centering a unicameral parliament based on proportional representation and the office of the vice presidency, aims to break the monopolization of power and build a brand new culture of coalition and consensus in the country.
Although this bold democratization and institutionalization experiment, closely monitored by all of Central Asia, promises to meet the requirements of the era, from digital rights to the investment climate, its true success will be determined by whether this theoretical distribution of power on paper can function in practice by creating genuinely independent institutions, and whether it can be implemented without shaking the deep-rooted stability of the country.[7] The coincidence of this process, in which Kazakhstan deepens its national identity construction and sovereignty vision, with the same timeframe as the 100th anniversary of the Turkology Congress is the clearest evidence that while nation-state structures in the Turkic world are strengthening, regional integration is simultaneously advancing in coordination.
In the context of future projection, this strategic process, which has gained momentum with the Turkic world’s common alphabet vision and Kazakhstan’s constitutional reforms, symbolizes not only a cultural solidarity in Eurasian geopolitics but also the construction of an institutionalized, independent center of power standing on its own feet. The greatest achievement of this process is its potential to transform the region from a passive object of global competition into an active, rule-making subject by fortifying the soft power of the OTS with deepening economic integration and concrete cultural bridges such as the Common Turkic Alphabet.
Moves such as the strengthening of the national government and the increase of the mother tongue’s sovereignty in the public sphere, as witnessed specifically in Kazakhstan, serve to establish a more transparent and stable state architecture by clearing the historical residues in the region. Provided that this national enlightenment is supported by modern disciplines such as the digital economy, common technological infrastructure, and terminological unity, it is highly probable that the Turkic world will cement its position as both a diplomatic mediator and a geostrategic center of gravity in the multipolar world order over the next decade.
[1] Currently known as the Presidium Building of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).
[2] “Birinci Türkoloji Kurultayın 100 İllik Yubileyinin Keçirilmesi Kaggında Azerbaycan Respublikası Prezidentinin Serencamı”, Azerbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti İlham Aliyev, https://president.az/az/articles/view/70396, (Access Date: 05.03.2026).
[3] “Sostoyalos Torzhestvennoye Otkrytiye Yubileynykh Meropriyatiy v Chest 100-letiya Bakinskogo Tyurkologicheskogo Syezda”, TÜRKSOY, https://www.turksoy.org/ru-RU/novosti/sostoyalos-torzhestvennoe-otkrytie-yubilejnyh-meropriyatij-v-chest-100-letiya-bakinskogo-tyurkologicheskogo-suezda, (Access Date: 05.03.2026).
[4] “International Symposium Marks 100th Anniversary of the Baku Turkology Congress”, Turkic Academy, https://turkicacademy.org/en/meropriyatie/international-symposium-marks-100th-anniversary-baku-turkology-congress, (Access Date: 05.03.2026).
[5] “Dano Soglasiye na Obshchiy Alfavit Tyurkskogo Mira, Sostoyashchiy Iz 34 Bukv – Zamestitel Erdogana”, Modern.az, https://modern.az/ru/medeniyyet/574103/dano-soglasie-na-obschiy-alfavit-tyurkskogo-mira-sostoyaschiy-iz-34-bukv-zamestitel-erdogana/, (Access Date: 05.03.2026).
[6] Almas Zhexenbekov, “First Draft of Kazakhstan’s New Constitution Presented”, Qazinform, https://qazinform.com/news/first-draft-of-kazakhstans-new-constitution-presented-4457c5, (Access Date: 05.03.2026).
[7] Sapargali Shalgimbayev, “Toward New Political Model: Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Referendum”, Eurasianet, https://eurasianet.org/toward-new-political-model-kazakhstans-constitutional-referendum, (Access Date: 05.03.2026).
