The Organization of Turkic States (OTS), founded in 2009 as the Turkic Council, is an intergovernmental organization promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations. Comprising Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan, with Hungary, Turkmenistan, and Northern Cyprus as observers, it focuses on strengthening economic, cultural, and political ties across Eurasia.

By the Center for International Economy of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) organized an OKH (Education and Training Week/Országos Képzési Hét) held in the last week of April 2026.

The OKH’s aim in presenting The Geopolitics of the Organization of Turkic States was to give MCC students direct insight into the inner workings of a developing Asian organization of which Hungary is also a member. This organization currently plays a prominent role in international relations and the global economy.

This topic is particularly important because Hungary is an observer member of the organization. By learning about the Organization of Turkic States work, structure, and operations through its Budapest headquarters, students gain significant practical knowledge.

As part of the two-day training program, students first attended a conference at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium's Székesfehérvár center. The conference's theme was Hungarian-Turkish Relations in Focus.

There, they listened to presentations by Turkish and Hungarian figures from the academic, business, and political spheres regarding the current state and future prospects of Hungarian-Turkish relations.

On the second day, the students visited the Budapest office of the Organization of Turkic States. Balázs Hendrich, the ambassador and executive director of the organization's representation office in Hungary, welcomed the students and gave a presentation on the organization's structure and operations in the 21st century. Then, Elbay Aliyev and Kanat Ydyrys, project directors at the Organization of Turkic States’ representation office in Hungary, representing Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, respectively, gave presentations introducing the students to the daily life and activities of the organization. As a follow-up, Yilmaz Baris, the staff member responsible for cultural programs at the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Institute in Budapest, introduced the students to Turkish culture during a lively discussion at the MCC headquarters.

The training was a continuation of the OKH organized by the Foreign Economic Workshop in November 2025. That OKH focused on the Organization of Turkic States' energy policy. The goal of the OKH, titled The Geopolitics of the Organization of Turkic States was to provide MCC students with direct insight into the life of an Asian organization that is currently taking shape. Hungary is a member of this organization, which plays a prominent role in international relations and the global economy today.