President Ilham Aliyev's reinstatement of Turkic format: towards first Organization of Turkic States' Summit in Samarkand

BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 11. The Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States will be held in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand on November 11, 2022, Trend reports. This is the first time the heads of the Turkic countries will gather to discuss relevant topics following the Turkic Council’s reformation on November 12, 2021, during Azerbaijan’s presidency of the Turkic Council. The decisive moment in Turkic cooperation was the historic 8th Summit of the Heads of State the Organization of Turkic States in Istanbul in 2021. The summit adopted decisions of crucial significance for the Turkic-speaking countries’ unity. First of all, the Turkic Council was renamed to the Organization of Turkic States and became a full-fledged international organization. In addition, having a united Turkic World has become a reality through Turkmenistan’s joining to it. Furthermore, the summit adopted the "Turkic World Vision – 2040", which endorses Turkic countries’ integration efforts and outlines the long-term objectives for their cooperation. Azerbaijan chaired the Turkic Council at a very tough time for the world, when the COVID-19 pandemic started worldwide and the country itself faced the military aggression of Armenia, which resulted in the second Karabakh War. Against the backdrop of the worsening political and economic crisis in the world, Azerbaijan, represented by President Ilham Aliyev, fostered the Turkic world to prepare for further development. Thus, on November 12, 2021, the historic 8th Summit of the Heads of Turkic-Speaking States was held in Istanbul, which finally completed the process of uniting all Turkic countries into one organization. The first relevant Summit of the Turkic States was held in Istanbul in 1992 at the initiative of Türkiye. The new format allowed to commence the establishment of economic, cultural and ethnic ties between the Turkic states, but couldn’t turn into a full-fledged organization, since the conditions were not yet ripe to launch the organization. The regular attempt to establish an organization that would unite the Turkic states was made in 2009. National leader Heydar Aliyev’s successor President Ilham Aliyev has always strived for the interaction of all Turkic states, initiated the summit in Nakhchivan on October 3, 2009, at which the Turkic Council, uniting Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, was established. The young organization has started to fulfill the integration of the Turkic world. Azerbaijan jointly with Türkiye managed to do a lot in a short period of time, thus turning the Turkic Council into the high-level platform for cooperation of all Turkic-speaking countries. Having come a long way, in 2019, the chairmanship of this organization passed to Azerbaijan. Focusing on the economic collaboration of the Turkic countries, Azerbaijan has made every effort to create a basis for strengthening the political ties of the Turkic-speaking countries, which has become so necessary in recent times. Thanks to Azerbaijan’s efforts, a number of countries that did not initially take part in the Turkic Council’s activity have gradually intensified ties: in 2018, Hungary joined the organization as an observer, in 2019, Uzbekistan became a full member of the organization, and Turkmenistan received a special status in the organization since the country’s neutral status didn’t allow joining new associations. As President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said at the VIII Summit of the Heads of Turkic Speaking States, during its two-year presidency, Azerbaijan made great efforts to unite the Turkic world. “Many events were held in this period. I think we are now stepping into the future in a more cohesive and more united manner. Today's summit has a great historic significance. First of all, because we are turning our Council into an organization, and this organization has a great future. Because this organization is based on natural allies, and this unity is dictated by history, culture, our customs and traditions,” the head of state said. The current global situation is a kind of strength test for every country in the world. Against the background of this, regional integration and strengthening multilateral partnerships are of utmost significance for the much-needed exchange of opinion on the way to overcoming the challenges facing the countries. In this context, the establishment of the Organization of Turkic States on the initiative and under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan proves its timeliness. It is not for nothing that during recent negotiations with Secretary General of the Organization Baghdad Amreyev, President Ilham Aliyev pointed out two major tasks facing the organization at the moment. So, the first he stated the strengthening of cooperative security measures. “Since the world is changing and has already changed, new threats and new challenges are already knocking at the door, so to speak. Therefore, along with economic cooperation, cooperation in transport, humanitarian and other areas will be one of the priorities, I think,” the head of state said. Moreover, President Ilham Aliyev outlined the safety of compatriots living abroad. “There are many more Azerbaijanis living outside Azerbaijan than in the country alone. Of course, their security, their rights and well-being are of the utmost importance to us. We will continue to do everything to help the Azerbaijanis who have found themselves cut off from our state, to assist them in their development so that they preserve the Azerbaijani language, Azerbaijani traditions, Azerbaijani culture, remain true to the principles of Azerbaijanism and never cut off ties with their historical homeland, just as many representatives of other peoples of our fraternal Turkic states live outside their states. But I also know that all leaders of the Turkic states attach great importance to how the rights of their brothers are secured in various countries,” the head of state said. “Therefore, I think we should also seriously discuss this topic within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States in the coming years – namely, the rights and security, the national identity of our brothers who, by the will of fate, live outside the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States,” the president added. Therefore, President Ilham Aliyev has once again positioned the Organization of Turkic States as an alliance aimed at improving its member states by identifying current global challenges to find the best development ways. The Turkic World is a big family and a valuable asset on a global scale. It has a huge potential, geography, transport routes, and energy resources, and that is why the challenges faced by members of the organization only increase the role and significance of this organization. In fact according to President Ilham Aliyev, "Our strength is in Unity". The Organization of Turkic States is a young organization that has become the result of the admirable policy of President Ilham Aliyev, who unswervingly advocates for Turkic integration. This organization serves as a platform for solving problems, the solution of which is necessary for the development of its member countries.