Abstract

Transportation cooperation has emerged as a central pillar of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), framed by member governments as essential for strengthening Turkic connectivity and operationalizing the ‘Middle Corridor’ as an alternative East-West route. Yet despite increasing political attention and frequent summit declarations, the depth and coherence of OTS transport cooperation remain limited. This article argues that these outcomes are best understood through the lens of regime complexity, which highlights how states operate within a crowded institutional environment composed of overlapping and competing connectivity frameworks, including China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the EU’s Global Gateway programs, and various bilateral agreements. Drawing on documentary analysis and elite interviews with diplomats, public officials, and experts across the region, the study shows that OTS members selectively engage with OTS initiatives while simultaneously pursuing national transport priorities through more resource-rich or strategically advantageous regimes. Rather than representing institutional weakness, this selective engagement reflects deliberate strategies of hedging, forum shopping, and layering. The article further demonstrates that transport cooperation within OTS serves not only instrumental goals, such as diversifying transit routes and improving resilience, but also important symbolic and narrative functions, reinforcing discourses of Turkic solidarity and regional identity. By situating OTS transport cooperation within broader Eurasian regime complexity, the study offers a new explanation for the uneven institutionalization of OTS connectivity initiatives and provides a nuanced account of how middle and small states navigate competing transport regimes in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.