Turkic Unity

The summit of presidents of Turkic-speaking countries in Istanbul
didn’t produce any sensations. The Council of Turkic-speaking Nations
Cooperation, with its headquarters in Istanbul, was created there to
complete the organizational structure of the cooperation efforts,
securing Turkish leadership in the alliance. The Council is considered
as a basis for further promotion of the Turkic alliance and forming a
regional Turkic Union.

The Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and the acting
President of Kyrgyzstan attended the meeting hosted by the President
of Turkey. Despite the regrettable absence of Uzbekistan’s President,
the summit was successful.
The five Presidents made arrangements for a joint celebration of the
20th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union next year. This
event is significant not only for the ex-Soviet republics, but also
for Turkey, as the collapse of the USSR promoted its political and
economic influence.

Another item on the agenda of the summit was the creation of the
Advisory Board of the Elders, in order to define the vector of
cultural exchange between the Turkic peoples.

The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries, as well as
the ‘TurkSoj’ fund, also contribute greatly to the process of Turkic
unification. According to the Azerbaijani President, Ilkham Aliyev,
the fund will soon start its activities in the conservation, study and
restoration of Turkic cultural heritage in all regions populated by
Turkic peoples. The Baku authorities donated the necessary financial
support to the fund.

However, the Istanbul meeting didn’t just bring up issues of
humanitarian concern. The Turkic countries’ officials considered the
necessity for mutual support in international political organizations.
Internal Turkic conflicts and tensions, such as the Azerbaijan-Turkmen
dispute over the Caspian Sea’s status or political stabilization in
Kyrgyzstan, will also be resolved within the framework of theTurkic
organization.

A settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict holds a special place in
the Turkic countries’ efforts. Ilkham Aliyev brought the issue up
several times during the meeting and stressed that no progress had so
far been made in such an urgent matter. “The territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan is recognized by the international community and should be
restored as soon as possible. Azerbaijan is a multi-ethnic country and
all ethnic groups live here like a big family without confrontations.
The desire of Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan for self-determination
should not destroy the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, because
these two constitutional notions should not oppose each other,” said
the President.

The importance of organizing a Strategic Partnership Council of Ankara
and Baku was also underlined and several decisions were made on
expanding economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Energy security issues were at the top of the agenda. This topic is
particularly vital for Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, as these states
are connected via oil and gas pipelines, while Kazakhstan is aspiring
to be part of this energy system. The participants in the summit
emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation in the Caspian
region.

The next annual summit is due to take place in Kazakhstan, and the
summit of 2012 – in Kyrgyzstan.

Evgeniy Krishtalev, exclusively to VK.