A symposium dedicated to the 30^th anniversary of independence of the Turkic states, the great victory of Azerbaijan in the Second Garabagh War and the 100^th anniversary of the Great National Assembly of Turkey was held in Baku on 9 June. The event titled ‘The Turkic World’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’ had been arranged together by the TURKPA, the Milli Majlis and the Ataturk Centre in Azerbaijan.

The head of the Ataturk Centre in Azerbaijan that hosted the symposium and a member of the Milli Majlis Nizami Jafarov opened the assembly and welcomed the participants. He mentioned the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev’s input in the inception of the Centre and talked about the legacy of Ataturk as well as the work done for the in-depth study and propagation of the whole Turkic history and culture.

TURKPA Secretary General Altinbek Mamayusupov expressed the deep gratitude to Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova and Chairman of the Great National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Şentop for their support to the arrangement of the event. He said that this symposium had predominantly been organised to solidify the fraternal bonds amongst all the Turkic peoples through events devoted to our history, culture, the place of the Turkic peoples in the world and the true values of the Turkic World as well as in order to clear the path to a continued growth of the international relations. The victory of Azerbaijan in the Second Garabagh War of 2020 was a victory of the Turkic World at large, said the TURKPA Secretary General. The 30^th anniversary of the independence of the post-Soviet Turkic states and the centenary of the Great National Assembly of Turkey being marked now is a crucial historic event of itself, he added. The Ataturk Centre active in Azerbaijan does the deeds that serve as an example to the whole Turkic World. The TURKPA, through a conjunction with the other relevant organisations, continues providing the legislative platform required for the co-operation between the Turkic states, according to Mr Mamayusupov.

The TURKSOY Secretary General Dusen Kaseyinov and President of the International Turkic Academy Darkhan Kydyrali joined the opening ceremony in the video link-up mode. Their respective addresses were heard; then, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Efendiyeva and a member of the GNAT and Chairman of the TURKPA Commission for Legal Affairs and International Connexions Ismet Uçma shared their ideas about the yesterday, today and tomorrow of the Turkic World.

The video-recorded addresses of the speakers of the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Turkey followed.    

In her video address to the symposium, the Chair of the Milli Majlis and the Acting Chair of the TURKPA Sahiba Gafarova wished success to such a weighty event having gathered together members of parliaments, academics and politicians of the Turkic states. She remarked confidently that the forthcoming opinion exchanges will promote the formation of a common outlook upon the Turkic World’s yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Turkic peoples have been making valuable contributions to the progress of the global civilisation throughout centuries. Our peoples that are settled over a large portion of the world have retained the common civilisation features and have enriched further the common values that hold them together. A great many Turkic states drew power from the creative energy and intellect of our nations, and soared high thanks to those.

The brotherly Turkey had been the only independent Turkic states for seventy years in the 20^th century, Sahiba Gafarova continued. That state came into being at the expense of the self-forgetfulness manifested in the War of Independence and of the great sacrifices. That historic victory that shaped the fate of the Turkish nation had the exceptional role played by the Great National Assembly; it is precisely because of this that the GNAT was referred to as the Majlis of the Gazies. The speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament added assuredly that the GNAT that had lived to turn a hundred years and to have rendered outstanding services to the Turkish nation would render many more from now on.

For long years, the Turkish Republic had been the focus of attraction to the brotherly peoples living in various parts of the world and then, towards the end of the 20^th century, namely, thirty years ago, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan regained their national independence. So, today, we have six independent republics that are the heirs to the ancient Turkic states.

Sahiba Gafarova underlined the key role played in making our nations an organised force by the Turkic States’ Co-operation Council, the TURKSOY, the International Turkic Academy, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Turkic Business Council and others. History is studded with the events that showed what the mutual support of the Turkic states can achieve; another proof came when Azerbaijan liberated its lands from the thirty-year-long Armenian occupation with the moral and political backing of the fraternal Turkey. The brilliant Victory of Azerbaijan in the 44 days’ Patriotic War, gained under the leadership of our glorious Army’s Commander-in-Chief and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and the making of the national territory of our country whole again constituted a source of pride for the whole Turkic World.

The historic opportunity to create a direct linkage between our countries by establishing the Zangazur Corridor is one of the remarkable outcomes of that outstanding prevalence. Coupled with the transnational energy and transport corridors materialised in the region with success, that corridor will give rise to completely new prospects for strengthening the economic co-operation amongst the Turkic states.

Concluding her address, Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova wished the states created by our peoples to be strong and to be there forever. She also called on the participants of the symposium never to cease to make stronger the language and the unity of creed and cause we inherited, and to support each other everywhere in the name of the happy future of the Turkic World.

Then was heard and watched the video address of Chairman of the Great National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Şentop. The speaker of the brotherly state’s parliament said that the Turkic states were marking the 30^th anniversary of their independence and the 100^th anniversary of the GNAT with pride; they are also proud of Azerbaijan’s great Victory in the Second Garabagh War. The solidarity of the Turkic states growing stronger with each passing day, the continued reinforcement of their working unity, too, make us all proud, Mr Şentop continued. We all are the descendants of the generations that brought the humankind – from Asia to Europe – the notions of justice, modesty and unity. As he talked about the historical ties between our peoples, Mr Şentop stressed the common language, religion and culture. Unity and solidarity must be had everywhere – from politics to economy, from defence to diplomacy, from education to culture and from tourism to energy, the GNAT Chairman was saying.

The opening ceremony was over and was followed by the three thematic panel sessions of the symposium. A member of the Milli Majlis Javanshir Feyziyev was moderator of the first panel entitled ‘The Role of the Turkic States and Parliaments on the 30^th Anniversary of their Independence’.

The panel speakers were the Kazakh MP Sautbek Abdrahmanov (via a video link-up), the Kyrgyz MP Baktibek Raymkulov, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Serjan Abdikarimov, the Charge d’Affaires of Kyrgyzstan in Azerbaijan Muhamed Lou, the Ambassador of Turkey to Azerbaijan Cahit Bağçı, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan Mekan Ishanguliyev and the Ambassador of Hungary to Azerbaijan Victor Szederkenyi.

The floor was given to the peoples of the sciences then. In their presentations, Director of the Folklore Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Academician Mukhtar Imanov, Rector of the E A Buketov Karaganda University Professor Nurlan Dulatbekov (a video link-up) and Deputy Rector of the Diplomacy Academy of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Kyrgyz Republic Professor Zainidin Kurmanov (a video link-up) covered such fundamental subjects as creating a common Turkic language and alphabet, developing a shared Turkic terminology and so forth.

A Family Photograph was taken at the end of the First Panel Session.

The next panel sessions of the symposium were conducted after the break. A member of the Milli Majlis Hikmat Babaoglu moderated the Second Panel Session ‘The Import of the Glorious Victory of Azerbaijan in the Second Garabagh War for the Turkic World’. Another Azerbaijani MP, Sadagat Valiyeva, was moderating the Third Panel Session entitled ‘The GNAT and the Adoption of the March of Independence as Manifestations of National Sovereignty’. The speakers on both were recognised scientists, public activists and politicians as well as parliamentarians of the Turkic countries including Academician Isa Habibbayli of the Milli Majlis.

The organisers concluded the symposium.

The Press and Public Relations
Department The Milli Majlis