Aziz Sancar: 5 major states of Turkic origin should work together in science, technology and the economy

Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar said the 5 major states of Turkic origin should work together in science, technology and the economy. Sancar spoke at the 2026-2027 Academic Year Opening Ceremony of Adana Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University.

The ceremony, held in the university's conference hall, was attended by many academics, students and the provincial protocol. Sancar also gave the first lecture, assessing global scientific competition and strategic cooperation.

The "Five Eyes" example

Sancar stressed that gaining global economic, technological and academic authority depends on integration. He cited the working discipline of the Anglo-Saxon countries as an example and described a shared vision along the axis of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. He said the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia share intelligence among themselves without sharing it even with NATO, and that lessons should be drawn from this.

There are 5 major states of Turkic origin. Taking a lesson from them, these 5 major states must work together. If we want a say in the world, if we want to be strong in science, technology and the economy, we need to work as the Turkic world.

Aziz Sancar

China's rise

Sancar noted East Asia's momentum in scientific output. He said China, which was behind in the 1970s, now competes with the US and has moved ahead in many fields. Noting that he was the first Turk to win a Nobel in science and Tu Youyou the first Chinese to do so, he said he expects 10-15 Nobels from China in the next 10-15 years but none from the Turkic world. He stressed that the Turkic world should pay attention to what China does right and wrong.