EU trade committee chair urges broader agreement with China
Bernd Lange wants investment included in wider negotiations as European lawmakers prepare to visit China on October 27 to 29.
Turkic leaders back closer transport links between Asia and Europe
Kazakhstan reported 30% freight growth on the Middle Corridor, while Uzbekistan proposed a program of 100 investment and industrial projects.
Transport connections and investment cooperation were central to the Organization of Turkic States' 13th summit in Ankara, where leaders adopted a declaration backing greater customs coordination and a shared approach to transport corridors. The rotating chairmanship passed from Azerbaijan to Turkey.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said freight carried on the Middle Corridor increased 30% during the year's first nine months, while transit shipments grew 90%. He put rail freight between Kazakhstan and fellow OTS members at nearly 40 million tonnes.
Crossing the Caspian Sea and South Caucasus, the corridor connects Central Asia to Europe without passing through Russia. Its expansion remains constrained by port capacity, border procedures and infrastructure gaps. The declaration also gave prominence to the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway and the proposed Trans-Afghan rail link.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined “Turkic World – 100,” a proposed program covering 100 strategic investment and industrial ventures. He identified minerals processing, domestic production of green-energy equipment and higher-value manufacturing as priorities. He also sought logistics hubs under joint management to connect the Middle Corridor more closely with other routes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan put forward proposals for a joint digital-trade platform and a Turkic large language model serving the Oghuz, Kipchak and Karluk language groups. Leaders also called for further work on a cybersecurity agreement and discussions about an OTS Cybersecurity Council.
Tokayev separately proposed Russian participation through OTS Plus or observer status; the summit announced no agreement on that suggestion. He reaffirmed Kazakhstan's opposition to turning the organization into a military alliance.
Alongside the gathering, Turkey and Uzbekistan concluded agreements on business support, preferential trade, social security and customs data sharing. Uzbekistan will host the next summit in 2027.