Participants of OTS summit in Shusha sign Karabakh Declaration

The Karabakh Declaration of the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was signed in Shusha on July 6.

The OTS Informal Summit was held on the theme of “Building a Sustainable Future through Transport, Connectivity and Climate Action”.

The meeting was hosted by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and attended by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, Vice-President of Türkiye Cevdet Yılmaz, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán and OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev.

Considering the Turkic World as a family based on common ethnic roots, history, language, culture, traditions and values of the Turkic peoples that is committed to the ideas of peace, security, stability and development and prosperity in the region and in the world;

Stressing cross-continental dimension of Turkic peoples’ inputs and the highest value of the role the Turkic peoples played historically in global political, economic and civilizational developments;

Building upon political, economic and civilizational achievements of the Turkic peoples throughout the history of mankind;

Acknowledging that the current geopolitical and security challenges which the world faces, require the consolidated position of the Turkic States to act as a single force that necessitates regular consultations on regional and international matters of mutual interest;

Declared that they:

Emphasize the historical value of informal Summit of the OTS in Shusha which has been the Cultural Capital of Turkic World-2023; 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; Stress the necessity to set more ambitious goals in view of potential of Turkic States in global scope, put in force relevant mechanisms and regulations to effectively implement the OTS tasks and purposes for building sustainable future by enhancing joint efforts and undertaking regional projects of strategic importance; 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 indispensable role of the Turkic States in the development of global trade and economy in the region and worldwide; 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.

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;

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; Emphasize the need for closer cooperation in addressing the climate change and its impacts on the sustainable development of the Turkic States through unified climate action; Call for enhanced cooperation for energy integration and interconnection among their energy systems; Promote cooperation and exchange among the Turkic States on further advancement of digital 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 establishment of data centers and cloud infrastructures; Welcome the initiative 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).

The decalration was signed in Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish and Uzbek languages.