Head of Turkic States Organization talks historic value of recent summit in Istanbul

By Trend

The VIII Summit of the Organization of Turkic States [held on November 12 in Istanbul] can be called a historic event that attracted the attention of all countries interacting with the Turkic world, the organization's Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev said in an interview to the Kazakhstan’s "Exclusive" analytical magazine, Trend reports on Dec. 2.

"We continue to receive feedbacks not only from the states of our region, but also from such countries as the US, China, India, and Arab countries, which testifies to the international significance of this event," Amreyev noted.

According to him, the significance of the decisions taken within the summit also demonstrates its historic character.

"The most important document is the 'Vision of the Turkic World - 2040', which defines the main parameters of cooperation and interaction within the framework of our organization for a 20-year period. This can be considered as a message from the current generation of Turkic leaders to the future generation," the CEO further said.

Renaming of the organization is also important, he stressed.

"Although it has existed for 12 years with all the attributes and powers and as a full-fledged international organization, its renaming gave it a new, special status, increased its authority and role in the international arena," Amreyev pointed out.

He also noted that another important event was the accession of Turkmenistan to the Organization of Turkic States.

"This fraternal country has always been an integral part of the Turkic world and previously actively participated in the activities of our organization. Thus, under the common flag of the Organization of Turkic States, all sovereign and independent Turkic states in the world are united - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and also Hungary, which also considers itself a part of the Turkic world," the official said.

According to him, another important decision adopted at the summit touched upon provisions on observers and partners of the organization.

“Today, many countries expressed willingness to obtain a status in our organization, which testifies to its high international authority. I would like to emphasize the importance of the final Istanbul Declaration adopted at the summit, which consists of 130 points and reflects the entire agenda of the Turkic states today. The document included all issues of cooperation: from politics to the cultural and humanitarian sphere, from major events to small but important events," he said.

The declaration was unanimously approved, which means that the Turkic world has become more united and cohesive, Amreyev emphasized.

“Another significant decision was the creation of the Turkic Investment Fund, the first financial institution in the Turkic world. In the coming months, this Fund will start working, and it will play a big role in strengthening our cooperation, increasing trade turnover and the volume of mutual investments, and most importantly, in supporting small and medium businesses," the organization's secretary general said.

He also reminded that at the summit, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was awarded the Supreme Order of the Turkic World.

“This unique award in the world was established two years ago by the heads of our states and is awarded by decision and signed by six heads of state. There is no such order in the world. The first order was awarded to the honorary chairman of the Organization of Turkic States, the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev at a summit in Baku in 2019,” he noted.

“This year the order was presented to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for his outstanding contribution to strengthening the unity of the Turkic world and his role in the liberation of Karabakh [from Armenian occupation in the 2020 second Karabakh war]. It’s symbolic that all Turkic countries thus expressed solidarity with the brotherly people of Azerbaijan," concluded Amreyev.