SEOUL, May 19 (AJP) - President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged member nations of the Organization of Turkic States to build a unified artificial intelligence and digital framework to secure sustainable advancement amid an unstable global environment, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the Republic of Korea said Tuesday. Speaking at an informal summit in the city of Turkistan on May 15, Tokayev positioned technological cooperation as a vital tool for economic resilience.
The initiative highlights a growing trend among regional blocs to establish independent digital infrastructure and tech sovereignty. Leaders at the summit focused on pooling technological resources to accelerate economic integration, as the organization transitions from a cultural and historical alliance into a practical high-tech and trade partnership.
During his address, Tokayev introduced several practical proposals to deepen integration across the bloc, including the mutual recognition of digital signatures and electronic documents. He also proposed the creation of a joint information technology hub called Turkic AI, which would be located at the newly established Alem.ai International Center for Artificial Intelligence in Astana.
To support the regional ecosystem, Kazakhstan plans to offer specialized educational grants to citizens of other Turkic states at a planned artificial intelligence university. The country has recently accelerated its domestic tech agenda by enacting a national Digital Code, passing a law on artificial intelligence, and launching two supercomputers.
The Kazakh president also stressed that technological advancement must be balanced with the preservation of cultural heritage. He called for the development of a convention to protect Turkic civilization alongside a multilingual digital platform dedicated to the history and culture of the member nations.
Tokayev explicitly rejected characterizations of the regional grouping as a geopolitical or military bloc, emphasizing its strictly cooperative focus.
"Recently, opinions have been voiced portraying our organization as a military alliance," Tokayev said. "It is obvious that those spreading such speculation pursue malicious goals and seek to sow discord. It is a unique platform aimed at strengthening trade, economic, technological, digital, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among brotherly nations."
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