On January 8, 2026, Astana became the center of economic dialogue across the Turkic world as it hosted the Third General Assembly of the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Turkic-Speaking Countries (TCCI). The meeting marked a historic milestone: Kazakhstan was granted the chairmanship of the Union for the first time since its establishment, DKNews.kz reports.
For Kazakhstan, this is more than a symbolic achievement. It signals the country’s growing role as a key driver of economic integration across the Turkic region.
Business leaders of the Turkic world gather in Astana
The Assembly brought together senior representatives of business communities and economic institutions from across the Turkic states. Among the participants were Vugar Zeynalov, Vice President of the Azerbaijan Confederation of Entrepreneurs ASK, Raimbek Batalov, Chairman of the Presidium of Kazakhstan’s National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken, Baghdad Amreyev, President of the Turkic Investment Fund, as well as Murat Karimsakov, Chairman of the Board of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Trade Chamber.
The discussions focused on turning political closeness and shared identity into tangible economic cooperation.
What is the Union of Turkic Chambers?
Established in 2019, the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Turkic-Speaking Countries serves as a multilateral platform to promote trade, industrial, investment, technological and business cooperation among member and observer states of the Organization of Turkic States.
Today, the Union brings together:
- Azerbaijan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Türkiye
- Uzbekistan
- Turkmenistan
- Hungary (observer state)
The chairmanship rotates annually and is approved by decision of the General Assembly.
2026: Kazakhstan steps into a leadership role
In line with this rotation, Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship for 2026. Raimbek Batalov was appointed President of the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) for a one-year term.
In his address, Batalov highlighted both the scale and the unrealized potential of the Turkic economic space:
“Today, the Turkic economic area unites more than 180 million people and possesses significant industrial and resource potential. At the same time, intra-regional trade still accounts for less than 10 percent of total trade turnover. This means there is enormous room for growth.”
Trade is growing, but potential remains untapped
The Assembly also underscored the positive dynamics of Kazakhstan’s trade and economic relations with Turkic countries. According to data for January-October 2025, mutual trade turnover reached USD 11 billion, representing growth of more than 10 percent year-on-year.
Kazakhstan’s exports to Turkic partner countries expanded even faster, rising by 16.6 percent to USD 7.9 billion. Participants agreed that these figures confirm the importance of deepening economic integration.
Priorities for the next stage of integration
Looking ahead, the Assembly identified several key priorities:
- development of industrial cooperation and joint production projects;
- more active use of Turkic Investment Fund instruments;
- reduction of trade and technical barriers;
- strengthening transport and logistics connectivity, including international routes and corridors.
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Commenting on future integration, Batalov stressed the need to convert potential into real outcomes:
“We have all the prerequisites for a qualitative breakthrough - scale, resources, institutions and political will. Our shared task is to turn this potential into sustainable production, investment, jobs and rising living standards for our peoples.”
Why this matters
Experts believe that Kazakhstan’s chairmanship can help shift cooperation within the Union from declarations to practical results. Deeper economic interaction is expected to boost mutual trade, attract investment and lay a solid foundation for long-term growth across member states.
The decision taken in Astana confirms Kazakhstan’s readiness to play a coordinating role in shaping the economic agenda of the Turkic world - and to back that role with concrete action.
