The Center of Analysis of International Relations (AİR Center) held an international conference entitled “Turkic Council: the 10th Anniversary of the Nakhichevan Agreement” in Baku on October 3, 2019. During his opening speech, Farid Shafiyev, the chairman of the AIR Center noted that the purpose of such conferences was not only to celebrate the anniversary of the Turkic Council, but also to unite the efforts of all member states to institutionalize the Turkic-speaking countries and raise their international profile. Mr. Shafiyev stated that Azerbaijan, as one of the founders of the Turkic Council, was proud of the efforts made in preserving Turkic traditions and values. According to him, the discussions would help to increase these efforts and to develop the relations between the Turkic-speaking countries, broadening their coordination at the regional and international levels. Farid Shafiyev also drew attention to the destruction and looting of the Turkish heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan, emphasizing that this violated all existing norms of international law, and mentioning the importance of discussing of this topic within the Turkic Council.

Then Kismet Gozalov, the Deputy Secretary General of the Turkic Council, touched upon the importance of fundamental research on issues of international relations and security in the globalizing world, underlining that the political cooperation between the Turkic-speaking countries would contribute to the analysis of integration processes. Later, Ramiz Hasanov, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said that the Turkic Council was an important platform for broad cooperation in terms of peace building, developing regional and multilateral relations in all areas of common interest and investing in various fields in the region. Mr. Hasanov emphasized that the Turkic Council played an important role in the preservation of common Turkic traditions and values.

Following the opening speeches, the bilateral Memorandums of Cooperation was signed between the AIR Center and Center for Strategic Studies of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Relations and Trade, and the Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Uzbekistan.

Later, during the panel discussions, Altynbek Mamaisupov, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking countries said that the Turkic Council systematically introduced the concept of Turkic-speaking countries to the world. He noted that the Great Silk Road contributed to the geography of cooperation between the Turkic-speaking countries. Gunay Efendiyeva, the President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, touched upon the history of the Turkic Cultural Heritage Fund and projects implemented by the Foundation on the initiative of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Fizuli Majidli, the Advisor to the President of the International Turkic Academy, said that the Academy, which was created on the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan and has gained international status, has implemented a number of projects for academic integration between Turkic-speaking countries, and spoke about the development of common alphabet theories.