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Shusha, the cradle of the culture of Azerbaijan, once again hosted a great event, the Informal Summit of the Heads of State of the Organisation of Turkic-speaking States. Taking a brief look at recent events, it can be considered more logical to say that Shusha is the honor and dignity of not only Azerbaijan, but also the entire Turkic world.

“By my decree, the city of Shusha was declared the cultural capital of Azerbaijan in 2021. On the occasion of 270th anniversary of the foundation of Shusha by Panah Ali Khan of Garabagh, 2022 was declared a Year of Shusha in Azerbaijan. The city of Shusha was declared Cultural Capital of the Turkic World for 2023 by TURKSOY and the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2024 by ICESCO,” said the Azerbaijani President in his address at the Informal Summit of the Heads of the State of the OTS held in Shusha.

However, this was not limited to the prestigious events listed above. Shusha also witnessed a more important event, the inking of the Garabagh Declaration. This important document, signed with the participation of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkiye, and even Hungary, sent new messages to the world the other day. The Garabagh Declaration, in fact, reflected the essence of the Shusha Declaration from a wider perspective. Because if the letter of approval signed in 2021 is only confined with the unity of Turkiye and Azerbaijan, then it is possible to talk about the unity of the entire Turkic-speaking geography.

This statement, jointly signed by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirzoyev and Vice President of Turkiye Cevdat Yilmaz, contained 31 articles.

1. Emphasize the historical value of the informal Summit of the OTS in Shusha which has been the Cultural Capital of Turkic World-2023;

2. 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;

3. Stress the necessity to set more ambitious goals in view of the potential of Turkic States in global scope, put in force relevant mechanisms and regulations to effectively implement the OTS tasks and purposes for building a sustainable future by enhancing joint efforts and undertaking regional projects of strategic importance;

4. 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 the indispensable role of the Turkic States in the development of global trade and economy in the region and worldwide;

5. 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. Call for strengthened cooperation among member states to streamline transport operations, and customs procedures, and embrace digitalization;

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;

6. 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;

7. Welcome the signing of the historic Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Government of the People's Republic of China, and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on joint cooperation in promoting the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project on 6 June 2024, which will also contribute to the growth of international trade, investment and transit potential of the entire OTS region;

8. Note with satisfaction that the regional trade volume is steadily increasing, agree to take concrete measures to increase the trade volume to its true potential in upcoming years, underline the importance of eliminating technical barriers in trade without prejudice to international obligations, and accelerating the completion of the text-based negotiations on DEPA (Digital Economy Partnership Agreement);

9. Emphasize the need for closer cooperation in addressing climate change and its impacts on the sustainable development of the Turkic States through unified climate action;

10. Encourage the development of climate-resilient smart cities and villages concepts within the Turkic States to enhance the quality of life, promote sustainable development, and foster economic growth by improving digital infrastructure, public services, and sustainable practices, with a focus on integrating clean energy resources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power to support climate action and in this line, initiate discussions on the establishment of OTS Climate and Green Digital Platform and OTS Forum of Climate Resilient Villages;

11. Highlight the significance of the strategic partnership among the Turkic States in the field of energy, including the development of cooperation in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency and welcome the recent developments in the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Power Systems Interconnection Project (Green Corridor);

12. Call for enhanced cooperation for energy integration and interconnection among their energy systems to utilize the immense potential of renewable energy in the Turkic States and to use opportunities for development of extensive energy systems for the export and trade of electricity, including from renewable sources among member states and to third countries;

13. Encourage the development of an institutional building mechanism (twinning) among the relevant authorities of the members of OTS in the fields of common interest like trade, energy, transport, and similar, with the aim of transferring the experiences;

14. Welcome the active implementation of the Digital Silk Way Project, which aims to create a new telecommunication backbone route between Europe and Asia by utilizing the existing capabilities/infrastructure of the OTS countries;

15. Promote cooperation and exchange among the Turkic States on further advancement of digital government (e-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 the establishment of data centers and cloud infrastructures;

16. Take note of the importance of creating a large language model of Member States for the successful development of AI projects and emphasize the importance of using a common platform, in the form of a large language model, to facilitate intercultural communication, develop educational platforms, improve healthcare technologies and promote economic integration;

17. Take note of the importance (necessity) of consolidation of efforts for joint development of space projects in order to increase the capacity and competitiveness of national space programs and integrated development in the field of space technologies in order to increase the level of technological development and competitiveness of joint projects;

18. Instruct the Secretariat to establish a cooperation mechanism of the relevant authorities of the Member and Observer States to cooperate in the field of the protection of the environment and climate agenda to strengthen the regional and global response to the climate change challenges;

19. Welcome the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan, announced at the Astana Summit 2023, 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) to be held from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku;

20. Wish the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan success in hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 11-22 November 2024 and support the consistent efforts of Azerbaijan in delivering tangible outcomes of the COP29 based on expectations of the parties to the Convention;

21. Express their readiness to engage in promoting the initiative to establish the new global dialogue “Mountains and Climate” in the annual calendar of the UN Climate Change Conference and consider joining the draft Document “Call to action for advancing the Mountain Agenda: mainstreaming mountains within the UNFCCC";

22. Welcome the initiative of Kazakhstan to host the Regional Climate Summit in 2026 under the auspices of the UN and international organizations;

23. Wish the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan success in hosting the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia countries in Astana on 9 August 2024;

24. Reiterate their intention to continue joint activity in the field of the defense industry in accordance with the national legislation of the Member States and in this regard instruct relevant bodies of the Member States to take necessary measures;

25. Express deep concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and condemn indiscriminate targeting of civilians, call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and provision of unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza as well as full compliance with international law, including the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions; and further call for a just and lasting settlement to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict on the basis of the two-State solution;

Support the international recognition of an independent, sovereign and contiguous state of Palestine based on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital and welcome the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on 10 May 2024 whereby the UN General Assembly determines that the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations and should therefore be admitted to membership in the United Nations, and call on all countries, that have not done so yet, to recognize the State of Palestine.

26. Welcome the valuable contributions of Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the OTS in their capacity as observers;

27. Commend the continued collaboration and increased synergy among the Turkic cooperation organizations, namely the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the Turkic Academy, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (TCHF), and the Turkic Investment Fund (TIF);

28. The Kyrgyz Republic reaffirmed its readiness to host the 11th Summit of the OTS in Bishkek on 24 October 2024;

29. Consider the proposal of the Kyrgyz Republic on Council of Heads of Government/Vice President;

30. Support the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan on charter of the Turkic World and instruct the Secretariat to finalize the draft document for its adoption at the next summit in Bishkek;

31. Welcome Hungary's accession to the Agreement Establishing the Turkic Investment Fund, marking a significant milestone in strengthening economic relations within the OTS.

Welcoming the valuable contributions of Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the OTS in their capacity as observers gives another boost to strengthening relations between the members of the OTS as well as growing its influence worldwide. Being a European country, Hungary will enjoy its observer status and these mutual relations will help to extend the power capacity of this union spanning between the east and the west.

Another important aspect of this approval is the creation of an initiative for member states to show their joint efforts in the field of defense industry. Azerbaijan completely reduces dependencies in terms of the development of the defense industry in the South Caucasus and prioritizes the joint efforts of the Turkic-speaking states participating in the agreement.

The Karabakh Declaration is not only focused on the region, this document also focuses on Gaza, the most painful problem in the Middle East.

Azerbaijan recognizes Palestine as a sovereign state and, based on the UN resolution of May 10, 2024, supports the country's becoming a member of the UN, as well as the recognition of the Palestinian state by other states based on the call of the UN General Assembly.

Having solved the Garabagh conflict on its own in 30 years without the help of any international institution or organization, Azerbaijan clearly wants to establish peace in the world. The Middle East crisis is not only about Israel and Palestine, this conflict is also a common problem of the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Therefore, according to the joint agreement, it was considered important to include the conflict among the articles of the Garabagh Declaration.

Thus, the Karabakh Declaration will ensure that the OTS member states approach what is happening in the world not only from one aspect but from a broader and more comprehensive aspect. This will also keep in mind the power ratio of the member countries of the union in the global framework.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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