On October 3, 2024, the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and Nakhchivan State University co-organized an event titled “The Organization of Turkic States on the 15th anniversary of the Nakhchivan Agreement.”

Participants of the event first visited the monument of Azerbaijan's National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the city center and laid flowers in front of it. The guests then closely acquainted themselves with the exhibits reflecting the life and multi-faceted statehood activity of the Great Leader at the Heydar Aliyev Museum located in the center of Nakhchivan city.

Later, a minute of silence was observed to honor the memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and martyrs. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was performed.

Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Fuad Najafli, spoke about the Nakhchivan period of Heydar Aliyev’s political activity and stressed that the National Leader attached great importance to the development of relations with the Turkic World. Speaking about Azerbaijan’s role in the institutionalization within the Turkic States, he stressed President Ilham Aliyev’s special role in these processes. According to him, due to stable and multifaceted cooperation between the member states, the integration within the Organization of Turkic States has been accelerated.

Chairman of the Board of the AIR Center Farid Shafiyev provided a detailed overview about the emergence of an idea about the common Turkic space, adding that practical steps in this regard were launched by National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the early 90s. According to him, now the OTS is a fully institutionalized international organization, and the current global crises necessitate enhanced cooperation between the member states and within the entity itself.

Rector of Nakhchivan State University, Elbrus Isayev, underlined that the strong political will of the heads of state lays the groundwork of integration within member states.

“The fact that the Nakhchivan Agreement laid the basis of the OTS is a matter of pride.”

The rector also highlighted Nakhchivan’s invaluable role in preserving the traditional Turkic symbols, thereby highlighting its important geostrategic position.

Muradjan Mustafayev, the representative of the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, delivered his congratulations on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Nakhchivan Agreement and touched on Nakhchivan’s geostrategic importance, located at the intersection of East and West, North and South links.

The event featured panel sessions on "Geopolitical changes in the geography of the Organization of Turkic States and the Organization of Turkic States," "Cooperation in the Field of Security," "Economic and Trade Relations," and "Cooperation in Energy and Transport."