Their discussion will unpack Dr. Cornell’s newest Silk Road Paper detailing the growing role of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) (https://www.silkroadstudies.org/resources/2512Turkicmerged.pdf)  in Eurasian affairs. As Russia, caught up in its war with Ukraine, recedes from the Eurasian geopolitical landscape, the OTS is emerging as a regional decision-maker. In October of this year, the OTS gathered in Gabala, Azerbaijan, for a pivotal summit. The summit made it apparent that, in a relatively short period, the OTS has managed to become an authoritative structure uniting Turkic populations to achieve common security, defense, economic development, transportation, digitalization, and sustainable energy goals. Though its ethnolinguistic character has led some analysts to question its potential efficacy, the new “OTS plus” framework illustrates the Organization’s intent and ability to work as a collective with non-Turkic states