(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Elnur Enveroglu
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Shusha, the cradle of the culture of Azerbaijan, once again
hosted a great event, the Informal Summit of the Heads of State of
the Organisation of Turkic-speaking States. Taking a brief look at
recent events, it can be considered more logical to say that Shusha
is the honor and dignity of not only Azerbaijan, but also the
entire Turkic world.
“By my decree, the city of Shusha was declared the cultural
capital of Azerbaijan in 2021. On the occasion of 270th anniversary
of the foundation of Shusha by Panah Ali Khan of Garabagh, 2022 was
declared a Year of Shusha in Azerbaijan. The city of Shusha was
declared Cultural Capital of the Turkic World for 2023 by TURKSOY
and the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2024 by ICESCO,”
said the Azerbaijani President in his address at the Informal
Summit of the Heads of the State of the OTS held in Shusha.
However, this was not limited to the prestigious events listed
above. Shusha also witnessed a more important event, the inking of
the Garabagh Declaration. This important document, signed with the
participation of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
Turkiye, and even Hungary, sent new messages to the world the other
day. The Garabagh Declaration, in fact, reflected the essence of
the Shusha Declaration from a wider perspective. Because if the
letter of approval signed in 2021 is only confined with the unity
of Turkiye and Azerbaijan, then it is possible to talk about the
unity of the entire Turkic-speaking geography.
This statement, jointly signed by President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of
Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirzoyev
and Vice President of Turkiye Cevdat Yilmaz, contained 31
articles.
1. Emphasize the historical value of the informal Summit of the
OTS in Shusha which has been the Cultural Capital of Turkic
World-2023;
2. Reiterate the importance of using the full potential and
opportunities of the Turkic States in the political, economic,
transport, defense-industry, humanitarian, educational, and
cultural fields for further strengthening and deepening their
strategic partnership and shaping a collective strategy of the
OTS;
3. Stress the necessity to set more ambitious goals in view of
the potential of Turkic States in global scope, put in force
relevant mechanisms and regulations to effectively implement the
OTS tasks and purposes for building a sustainable future by
enhancing joint efforts and undertaking regional projects of
strategic importance;
4. Highlight the importance of further development of
connectivity among the Turkic States through the establishment of
appropriate transport infrastructure and efficient trans-regional
corridors in view of the indispensable role of the Turkic States in
the development of global trade and economy in the region and
worldwide;
5. Enhance regional connectivity and economic integration among
the Members through the Trans- Caspian International East-West
Middle Corridor connecting Europe-Türkiye-South Caucasus-Central
Asia-China, as a cornerstone for sustainable development, economic
prosperity, and international trade by boosting trade volumes and
attracting infrastructure investments in ports, railways, highways,
and logistical hubs. Call for strengthened cooperation among member
states to streamline transport operations, and customs procedures,
and embrace digitalization;
To that end, instruct Ministers in charge of Transport to take
further steps to optimize and digitalize transport and transit
procedures, introduce incentive mechanisms for the private sector
aimed at attracting more cargo volume, and establish scheduled
transport services along the Corridor;
6. Appreciate the modernization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway
line and the trilateral efforts between Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and
Georgia, aimed at expediting customs controls for goods and
vehicles along this line;
7. Welcome the signing of the historic Agreement between the
Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Government of the
People's Republic of China, and the Government of the Republic of
Uzbekistan on joint cooperation in promoting the
China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project on 6 June 2024, which
will also contribute to the growth of international trade,
investment and transit potential of the entire OTS region;
8. Note with satisfaction that the regional trade volume is
steadily increasing, agree to take concrete measures to increase
the trade volume to its true potential in upcoming years, underline
the importance of eliminating technical barriers in trade without
prejudice to international obligations, and accelerating the
completion of the text-based negotiations on DEPA (Digital Economy
Partnership Agreement);
9. Emphasize the need for closer cooperation in addressing
climate change and its impacts on the sustainable development of
the Turkic States through unified climate action;
10. Encourage the development of climate-resilient smart cities
and villages concepts within the Turkic States to enhance the
quality of life, promote sustainable development, and foster
economic growth by improving digital infrastructure, public
services, and sustainable practices, with a focus on integrating
clean energy resources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power to
support climate action and in this line, initiate discussions on
the establishment of OTS Climate and Green Digital Platform and OTS
Forum of Climate Resilient Villages;
11. Highlight the significance of the strategic partnership
among the Turkic States in the field of energy, including the
development of cooperation in the field of renewable energy and
energy efficiency and welcome the recent developments in the
Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Power Systems Interconnection
Project (Green Corridor);
12. Call for enhanced cooperation for energy integration and
interconnection among their energy systems to utilize the immense
potential of renewable energy in the Turkic States and to use
opportunities for development of extensive energy systems for the
export and trade of electricity, including from renewable sources
among member states and to third countries;
13. Encourage the development of an institutional building
mechanism (twinning) among the relevant authorities of the members
of OTS in the fields of common interest like trade, energy,
transport, and similar, with the aim of transferring the
experiences;
14. Welcome the active implementation of the Digital Silk Way
Project, which aims to create a new telecommunication backbone
route between Europe and Asia by utilizing the existing
capabilities/infrastructure of the OTS countries;
15. Promote cooperation and exchange among the Turkic States on
further advancement of digital government (e-Government)
infrastructures; harmonization of e-signature/digital signature
mechanisms for electronic document sharing and integration of
online public services; fostering common cybersecurity protection
measures against cyber-incidents and cyber-attacks; building
policies, guidelines, and partnerships on artificial intelligence
(AI); and development of policies and best practices on the
establishment of data centers and cloud infrastructures;
16. Take note of the importance of creating a large language
model of Member States for the successful development of AI
projects and emphasize the importance of using a common platform,
in the form of a large language model, to facilitate intercultural
communication, develop educational platforms, improve healthcare
technologies and promote economic integration;
17. Take note of the importance (necessity) of consolidation of
efforts for joint development of space projects in order to
increase the capacity and competitiveness of national space
programs and integrated development in the field of space
technologies in order to increase the level of technological
development and competitiveness of joint projects;
18. Instruct the Secretariat to establish a cooperation
mechanism of the relevant authorities of the Member and Observer
States to cooperate in the field of the protection of the
environment and climate agenda to strengthen the regional and
global response to the climate change challenges;
19. Welcome the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan,
announced at the Astana Summit 2023, to establish a permanent
Turkic Environmental Forum at the ministerial level and to plan its
first meeting within the framework of the 29th session of the
Conference of the Parties (COP 29) of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held from 11 to 22
November 2024 in Baku;
20. Wish the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan success in
hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29)
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) on 11-22 November 2024 and support the consistent efforts
of Azerbaijan in delivering tangible outcomes of the COP29 based on
expectations of the parties to the Convention;
21. Express their readiness to engage in promoting the
initiative to establish the new global dialogue“Mountains and
Climate” in the annual calendar of the UN Climate Change Conference
and consider joining the draft Document“Call to action for
advancing the Mountain Agenda: mainstreaming mountains within the
UNFCCC";
22. Welcome the initiative of Kazakhstan to host the Regional
Climate Summit in 2026 under the auspices of the UN and
international organizations;
23. Wish the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan success in
hosting the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of
Central Asia countries in Astana on 9 August 2024;
24. Reiterate their intention to continue joint activity in the
field of the defense industry in accordance with the national
legislation of the Member States and in this regard instruct
relevant bodies of the Member States to take necessary
measures;
25. Express deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian
situation in Gaza and condemn indiscriminate targeting of
civilians, call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and
provision of unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza as well as full
compliance with international law, including the relevant UN
Security Council Resolutions; and further call for a just and
lasting settlement to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict on the
basis of the two-State solution;
Support the international recognition of an independent,
sovereign and contiguous state of Palestine based on pre-1967 lines
with East Jerusalem as its capital and welcome the adoption of the
UN General Assembly resolution on 10 May 2024 whereby the UN
General Assembly determines that the State of Palestine is
qualified for membership in the United Nations and should therefore
be admitted to membership in the United Nations, and call on all
countries, that have not done so yet, to recognize the State of
Palestine.
26. Welcome the valuable contributions of Hungary, Turkmenistan
and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the OTS in their
capacity as observers;
27. Commend the continued collaboration and increased synergy
among the Turkic cooperation organizations, namely the
Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), the International
Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the Turkic Academy, the
Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (TCHF), and the Turkic
Investment Fund (TIF);
28. The Kyrgyz Republic reaffirmed its readiness to host the
11th Summit of the OTS in Bishkek on 24 October 2024;
29. Consider the proposal of the Kyrgyz Republic on Council of
Heads of Government/Vice President;
30. Support the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan on
charter of the Turkic World and instruct the Secretariat to
finalize the draft document for its adoption at the next summit in
Bishkek;
31. Welcome Hungary's accession to the Agreement Establishing
the Turkic Investment Fund, marking a significant milestone in
strengthening economic relations within the OTS.
Welcoming the valuable contributions of Hungary, Turkmenistan
and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the OTS in their
capacity as observers gives another boost to strengthening
relations between the members of the OTS as well as growing its
influence worldwide. Being a European country, Hungary will enjoy
its observer status and these mutual relations will help to extend
the power capacity of this union spanning between the east and the
west.
Another important aspect of this approval is the creation of an
initiative for member states to show their joint efforts in the
field of defense industry. Azerbaijan completely reduces
dependencies in terms of the development of the defense industry in
the South Caucasus and prioritizes the joint efforts of the
Turkic-speaking states participating in the agreement.
The Karabakh Declaration is not only focused on the region, this
document also focuses on Gaza, the most painful problem in the
Middle East.
Azerbaijan recognizes Palestine as a sovereign state and, based
on the UN resolution of May 10, 2024, supports the country's
becoming a member of the UN, as well as the recognition of the
Palestinian state by other states based on the call of the UN
General Assembly.
Having solved the Garabagh conflict on its own in 30 years
without the help of any international institution or organization,
Azerbaijan clearly wants to establish peace in the world. The
Middle East crisis is not only about Israel and Palestine, this
conflict is also a common problem of the South Caucasus and Central
Asia. Therefore, according to the joint agreement, it was
considered important to include the conflict among the articles of
the Garabagh Declaration.
Thus, the Karabakh Declaration will ensure that the OTS member
states approach what is happening in the world not only from one
aspect but from a broader and more comprehensive aspect. This will
also keep in mind the power ratio of the member countries of the
union in the global framework.
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