TURPAC continues its march to Nationhood

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has a curious membership.  There is no requirement that a member adhere to the Western value of the Rule of Law (e.g., Turkmenistan is a member) nor be a nation-state (e.g., The "Holy" See is, too).  All of the Turkic-speaking nations are members, stretching all the way to China; the Russian Federation is  member; China and India and all of Southeast Asia are not.  Th United States and Canada are members and none o the other nations of the Western Hemisphere is.  Australia is not.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic-speaking Countries (TURKPA), which is not a nation-- yet -- proudly announces that it will participate in the 21st Assembly of OSC.  One more step toward nationhood, I think.

The members of TURKPA are Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan (in aqua on the map).

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (blue), the other Turkic-speaking nations, a not yet members.

Turkic-speaking people, together with Persians and Arabs, formed the Ottoman Empire, which for a thousand years was the most powerful empire on earth.  Persian was the official language of government; Turkic was the ordinary language of the Empire; Arabic was the language of religion.

I imagine some prominent Turks yearn for empire's return, especially after the casual way the Europeans have treated Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

The Turkic-speaking people are varied, racially.

They have traditions bloody but honorable, that compare favorably with the Abrahamic epic, and women are honored in the tradition.  Their traditional histories are closer to Greek than Arabic.  See, e.g., The Book of Dede Korkut.

I would like to see the Turkic-speaking people become stronger, as a counterweight to China and Russia's struggle to control Central Asia.

For more on Turkic-people's aspirations, and especially for more on their national sports, the relevant Mansouled Fiery Islands posts.

Digman

Just because . . . .