The History
Ankara Assembly (1992)
On October 30th and 31st, 1992, the first summit of the “Assembly of Turkic-Speaking States” was held in Ankara. The summit was highly anticipated by the Republic of Turkey, who had planned a special proclamation that would be signed at the summit's conclusion. The summit text emphasized the mutual benefits of cooperating as a community, strengthened the sense of solidarity among the Turkic Republics, and discussed a number of shared projects. The opening speech at the summit was delivered by Turgut Özal, the former President of the Republic of Turkey, who noted that the 21st century will be the century in which the Turkish-speaking states rise and become more powerful if the great opportunity based on unification in front of the Turkish-speaking peoples is well evaluated. For this shared goal, Turgut Özal advocated for the establishment of a powerful union based on the "common market" model in this direction, as well as the removal of barriers to the growth of economic ties between nations that speak Turkic languages and the simplification of customs laws. Turgut Özal also initiated the creation of a regional restructuring development bank.
The Central Asian Turkic Republics did not see it proper to sign the initial declaration that the Republic of Turkey had prepared. Instead, they signed the Ankara Declaration at the summit's conclusion, which was content with vague phrases and did not call for concrete promises. For instance, boosting security in the area, settling disagreements diplomatically, collaborating on projects for the extraction and processing of oil and gas, and communication-related tasks. Thus, the realistic picture that emerged with the Ankara summit showed that the integration between Turkish-speaking states could not be established at once and could be implemented with joint strategic decisions and planned and rational policies covering the long-term period.
Istanbul Assembly (1994)
It was decided that the second Assembly of the “Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries” would be held in Baku in 1993. However, due to the emerging problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, the Heads of State found it appropriate to hold the second summit in Istanbul, Turkey, on 18-19 October 1994. At the summit, notable emphasis was placed on the principles of independence, sovereignty, respect for territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, and equality. According to the declaration of the summit held in Istanbul;
Joint Action in International Organizations: The summit's participants seek to cooperate with international organizations, especially the UN and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). This implies that these bodies are committed to coordinating their activities and positions on international matters.
Resolution of the Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict: The leaders at the summit discussed the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. They emphasized the importance of resolving this conflict through peaceful means based on UN Security Council resolutions. This indicates a diplomatic approach to addressing regional conflicts.
Scholarship Student Exchange Programs: The Republic of Turkey has implemented the "Great Student Project" which provided scholarships to 10,000 students, with 2,000 allocated to each of the regional states. This step aims to foster educational and cultural exchange between states.
Revival of the Silk Road: There is a goal to enhance trade between the states and revive the historical Silk Road. Institutions like the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), and the Exim Bank are contributing to the development of trade and economic relations among the participating nations.
Support for Cooperation and Confidence Building Measures: The leaders pledged support for Kazakhstan's proposal to develop "Cooperation and Confidence Building Measures in Asia." Additionally, they expressed support for the activities of TURKSOY, an organization established to promote cultural cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations.
Utilization of Natural Resources: The leaders of the participating states discussed the exploitation of their rich natural resources, particularly natural gas and oil. They agreed to work together on joint projects to deliver these resources to world markets efficiently. Mention is made of transporting natural gas and oil pipelines to Europe and the Mediterranean via the Republic of Turkey.
Improving Transportation Connections: The states plan to improve existing transportation connections and establish new ones, encompassing land, air, sea/river, and railway transportation. This will likely facilitate the movement of goods and people within the region.
Generally speaking, bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Turkey, Central Asian Republics, and Azerbaijan saw the development of relations between 1993 and 1995 among Turkic-speaking states. With the Republic of Turkey's assistance, the states of the region concentrated on a foreign policy based on developing young leaders, strengthening their independence from Russia, and investing in the next generation in order to shed the Soviet mindset and reclaim their historical identities. On the other hand, a significant decision that might be seen as the start of institutionalization was made during the summit. It was therefore decided that consultations would be held at suitable periods by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs or the high-level officials they designated to look into the implementation of the summit meeting decisions and to make preparations for the following meeting.
Bishkek Assembly (1995)
The third summit of the “Assembly of Turkic-Speaking States” was held in Bishkek on 27-29 August 1995. The summit mainly focused on the development of information, cultural, scientific-economic relations, and ensuring regional stability and security.
Emphasis was placed on the following key issues on the development of relations in the fields of information, culture, and science:
Preserving Culture: The nations' cooperation in preserving and promoting their shared cultural and historical legacy was the subject of additional debates.
Educational Institutions and Festivals: The States have stated being in favor of planning cultural events and establishing cooperative schools in the future. The house also underlined how pleased they were that institutions such as Azerbaijani-Turkish and others have been established.
Cultural Cooperation: The states emphasize the crucial part that TURKSOY plays in fostering and disseminating shared cultural values, more support in the future was expected towards TURKSOY.
Information Sharing: The leaders seek to collaborate more closely in the area of public communication, such as news and media and mass media.
Economic Cooperation: The nations have also discussed ways to improve their economic relationships, including:
Strengthening cooperation between states.
Making it easier for goods, services, and money to move between states.
Removing barriers to trade, banking, and insurance.
Using their rich natural resources like oil and gas efficiently and working together on projects.
Supporting regional integration led by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
Regional Stability and Security: The Leaders have talked about topics such as:
With the help of the OSCE and the UN, diplomatically resolving the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Agreeing on a common approach to fighting illegal drug and weapons trade.
Opposing separatist movements and cooperating internationally to combat terrorism.
In plainer terms, the nation’s plan is to collaborate to safeguard their economies, educational systems, and cultural traditions while also concentrating on regional peace and security, which includes settling disputes and battling criminal activities like the drug trade and terrorism.
As seen above, the Bishkek Summit was mostly spent making decisions that reaffirmed the importance of the issues discussed in previous summits. During the summit, the speeches of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which included their perspectives on the meetings of the Heads of State of the Turkic-speaking States, were noteworthy. Islam Karimov stressed the 1994-founded "Central Asian Economic Community" organization and proposed that Turkmenistan and Tajikistan become member states. Islam Karimov proposed strengthening economic ties through the Central Asian Economic Community, which would further interlock each other at the regional level, as opposed to developing economic relations between Central Asian nations through the Summits of Assembly of Turkic-speaking States. He went on to say that if anything pertaining to political unification were mentioned at the summits, his country would not partake any longer.
Saparmurat Niyazov, the leader of Turkmenistan, advised the other heads of state present at the summit to continue carrying out their plans to build the bond between Turkic-speaking nations gradually. The need to work closely with Russia, Iran, and other CIS nations should go hand in hand with regional integration efforts with the Republic of Turkey, Saparmurat Niyazov stressed, as shared linguistic affinities do not imply political unanimity.
Islam Karimov's viewpoint on the Summit of Heads of State of Turkic Speaking States changed as a result of the tense relationship between Turkey and Uzbekistan at the time. As is well known, the two states' ties first became tense in the spring of 1994. Muhammed Salih, a competitor Kerimov viewed as a significant threat, sought asylum in Turkey around this point in time. In July 1994, the Uzbek government formally requested that Turkey extradite Salih to Uzbekistan; however, Islam Karimov withdrew his ambassador upon Turkey's denial. On June 24, 1994, Kerimov proceeded to Ankara to conduct negotiations on Salih's extradition, but the Turk side refused to agree to it. However, it was guaranteed that Salih would not be permitted to participate in any political action in Turkey, making it feasible for the Uzbekistan Ambassador to return. Relations between Turkey and Uzbekistan resumed after Salih traversed to Germany in October 1994 shortly after leaving Turkey. As a matter of fact, it was decided that the subsequent summit would take place in Tashkent in September–October 1996.
Tashkent (1996) and Astana (1998) Assemblies
On October 21, 1996, the Heads of State of the States Speaking Turkish met for the fourth time. A significant institutionalization decision was made during the summit, as indicated in Article 16 of the Tashkent Declaration, and it was resolved to create the Secretariat of the Turkic Speaking States Summit and draft its charter.
It was decided that the Secretariat would be responsible for carrying out the following tasks, which were entrusted to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs:
To coordinate and prepare the documents to be presented to the Heads of State and the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs,
To organize symposiums, conferences, and seminars to promote the accomplishments of the Turkish Speaking States in terms of language, culture, and community.
To do research, compile, and prepare historical sources regarding the lives of Turks in the past and now.
The creation of various programs for the expansion of the required infrastructure and network of tourist routes suitable for tourism, the promotion and dissemination of the diverse cultural and historical heritage of the Turkish-speaking peoples, the TRACECA Project, and the "Central Asia Afghanistan Pakistan" exit to the Indian Ocean as a part of the north-south transportation corridor were also discussed at the conference. Boosting collaboration in the fight against borderless terrorism and separatism as well as supporting the proposal to actualize the transportation route were considered.
On June 9, 1998, the fifth summit of the Heads of State of the Turkish-Speaking States took place in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan. Turkmenistan was represented at the summit at the level of the Speaker of the Parliament. The following concerns were resolved, according to the Astana Declaration:
Secretariat and Ministries of Foreign Affairs: The heads of state officially established the Secretariat of Heads of State of Turkish-Speaking States and put the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in charge of supervising its work.
Expanding Trade and the Silk Road: Together, the states aim to increase commerce and carry out the Silk Road rejuvenation campaign.
Joint Projects and Resource Utilization: They stressed the importance of managing their rich natural resources like gas, oil, and hydroelectricity. They're working on projects to deliver these energy resources to global markets, including oil and gas pipelines reaching the Mediterranean and Europe via the Republic of Turkey.
Support for Transport Corridor: They have shown support for an international conference to develop the "Europe-Caucasus-Asia" transport corridor.
Regional Integration Support: The States have shown support for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan in their attempts to create regional integration procedures. In addition, they welcomed Kazakhstan's proposal to host the Asia Conference on Cooperation and Confidence Building Measures.
Peaceful Resolution of Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict: The Assembly advocates an amicable settlement of the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict based on decisions made by the UN Security Council and the tenets of the OSCE Lisbon Summit.
Following the Astana Summit, the interest of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the meetings of Heads of State of Turkic Speaking States decreased and they were not represented at the summits with the status of Heads of State. Turkmenistan's decreased interest in the Summits of Heads of State of Turkic Speaking States stemmed from its declared foreign policy of neutrality. As is well known, the UN General Assembly decided on December 12, 1995, to recognize Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality status. Turkmenistan has begun to remove itself from numerous regional integration activities, including the Summit of Heads of State of Turkic Speaking States, as a result of its permanent neutral position. Uzbekistan’s attitude towards the Assembly has evolved in dependence on Turkey. During this time, Muhammad Salih's presence in Turkey was the main source of conflict between Uzbekistan and Turkey. As a consequence, there was a crisis that led to the cancellation of work licenses for Turkish businesses and the recall of Uzbek students who were studying there. The two countries' ties were strained by these circumstances.
Under Evgeni Primakov's direction, Russia adopted the "Primakov Doctrine" as its foreign policy stance in the latter part of the 1990s. In order to neutralize the impact of the Atlantics bloc, this strategy intended to restore Russia's power and reputation in its near vicinity, particularly in Central Asia. Primakov might not have had a favorable opinion of the Assembly since it might have put Russia's sway over Central Asia in jeopardy. Russia made efforts to strengthen its ties with Central Asian nations in 1999. This was partially brought on by the rise of the Taliban, who had taken over Kabul in 1996 and raised questions about the stability of the surrounding area. Russia, the Central Asian states, and other nations in the area started working collaboratively on security matters to deal with possible threats. Late 1990s cooperation among the Taliban and the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan" grew, raising Central Asian security issues. Russia's attention on national security increased when North Caucasus religious extremist organizations began to act. Additionally, religious extremist organizations carried out bomb blasts in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in February 1999, which prompted Uzbekistan and Russia to step up their security coordination.
Baku (2000) and Istanbul (2001) Assemblies
On April 8, 2000, the 6th Summit of the Heads of State of Turkish-Speaking States was held in Baku. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan sent parliament speaker representatives to the conference. However, another significant step toward institutionalization was made at the summit, and it was decided to establish the permanent Secretariat in the Republic of Turkey, as stated in the Baku Declaration's 15th article, which calls attention to the Secretariat of the meetings of the Heads of State of the Turkish-Speaking States. Additionally, it was determined to create a permanent Secretariat in the Republic of Turkey during the Baku Summit. The following subjects dominated the conversation:
Improving International Transportation: The seamless import and export of goods is made possible by the implementation of agreements to enhance international transportation along the Europe-Caucasus-Asia corridor.
Pipeline Projects: The States want to hasten the execution of agreements like the Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia and the Baku-Ceyhan big oil pipeline, a gas pipeline connecting the Republic of Turkey, Europe, and the Caspian.
Scientific and Technical Cooperation: To support economic reforms and build domestic industries, they want to exchange knowledge and expertise for staff training in small and medium-sized businesses as well as for scientific and technical collaboration.
Peaceful Resolution in Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict: They support a peaceful solution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the principles of the OSCE Lisbon Summit.
Cooperation across Various Sectors: Discussed collaboration between legislatures, federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as nonprofit and social organizations.
The rest of the topics that had been discussed by the Assembly are past topics revisited.
On April 26–27, 2001, Istanbul hosted the 7th Summit of the Heads of State of Turkish-Speaking States. The execution of the conclusions reached in earlier sessions was verified at the summit when the Istanbul Declaration was signed, and certain significant choices were made in the name of institutionalization. As a result, "Turkic Speaking States" was used in place of "Turkish Speaking States." The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, also advocated the creation of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking States and the Council of Aksakals during the summit.
Interruption of the Assemblies
The next gathering would take place in Ashgabat, however, the eighth summit could only be convened in 2006, a decision made at the Istanbul Summit. As a result, the summits of the Assembly of Turkic-speaking States ended up being interrupted. Experts offered a variety of responses to the query of why the summits were halted. Accordingly, some Turkish and Russian experts claimed that the economic crisis of 2001 and the internal unrest that Turkey experienced during this time period were to blame for the summits' cancellation. They also claimed that the ruling authorities of the time prioritized the Middle East in their foreign policy while ignoring Turkic-speaking nations, particularly Central Asia, and attributed this to their indifference.
However, Russia's near-periphery strategy in general and its Central Asia policy in particular became active during this pause. On January 1, 2000, Vladimir Putin, a nationalist and young president of Russia, assumed office. Putin's initial action was to formalize his strategy toward the area in light of the immediate environment in general and Central Asia in particular. As a result, on January 10, 2000, Russia approved the National Security Concept, and on April 21, 2000, adopted the Military Doctrine. Putin's regional strategy was mapped out by the widely recognized theory and idea up until 2008, which said that the near neighborhood, particularly Central Asia, was the top priority in terms of foreign policy.
In other words, by strengthening the state power within the country over the oligarchies, the Russian rulers of the period were laying the foundations of an active foreign policy that could enable greater opening up to the near environment, especially Central Asia, in the future. As a matter of fact, on October 7, 2002, an agreement containing the founding and legal status of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was signed under the leadership of Russia. Thus, the Collective Security Agreement signed in Tashkent on May 15, 1992, was institutionalized and the Central Asian states approached more effective relations with Russia on security issues. In short, the Summits of Heads of State of Turkic Speaking States were interrupted between 2001 and 2006, but Russia's relations with the regional states increased further.
Resumption of Summits and Institutionalization
On November 17, 2006, five and a half years after the summit in Istanbul on April 26 –27, 2001, Uzbekistan and four other Turkic-speaking nations—all save Turkmenistan—met once more at the 8th Summit in Antalya. The following 9th Summit took place in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, on October 1-2, 2009. The signing of the Nakhchivan Agreement on the creation of the "Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking Countries" (Turkic Council), which seeks to further unify the Turkic-speaking countries, is what makes this summit significant.
Antalya Assembly (2006)
The Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey met during the 8th Assembly on November 17, 2006, in Antalya. Turkmenistan was represented at the meeting by the Ankara Embassy, while Uzbekistan was absent. The Antalya Declaration, which consists of 27 articles, was signed at the summit, and a focus was put on increasing the chances for direct collaboration, particularly with regard to the following fundamental problems.
Increasing the area of collaboration in national security;
Jointly combating transnational threats posed by terrorism, separatism, extremism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and all types of organized crime, especially drug, arms, and human trafficking in the Eurasian region,
Increasing cooperation to establish lasting peace and tranquility in order to resolve the ongoing issues in the immediate vicinity of Turkish-speaking states,
It was emphasized that the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Turkish origin living in Iraq should be secured.
Expansion of cooperation opportunities in trade, economy, and energy fields:
Ensuring the contribution of the private sector in the development of cooperation in the field of economy and trade,
Accelerating bilateral and multilateral joint projects in the fields of industry, agriculture, transportation, communication and tourism,
Increasing cooperation in the field of diversifying the ways of delivering energy resources to consumers states,
The importance of ensuring that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline becomes operational and the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline is completed and that Caspian transit projects are added to these pipelines,
Providing new opportunities for the development of international transportation between states; In this regard, implementing the Kars-Ahılkelek-Tbilisi-Baku railway project and trying to add Bishkek to the Istanbul-Almaty railway line,
Making efforts to simplify and accelerate visa procedures.
Increasing cooperation to support country initiatives:
Continuing to offer the assistance required for TURKSOY's excellent contributions to culture to continue;
Strengthening collaboration to safeguard and pass on the shared cultural legacy to future generations and to promote it broadly;
Supporting Kazakhstan's candidacy for the 2009 OSCE term presidency,
Supporting the search for a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem,
Advocating for a peaceful conclusion of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of Azerbaijan's independence, territorial integrity, and inviolable frontiers,
Increasing cooperation within the Organization of Islamic Conference,
Supporting the 2009–2010, 2010–2011, and 2012–2013 UN Security Council bids from Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan, made a significant move toward institutionalization during the assembly, and it was suggested that the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking countries be established. As a result, the initial steps toward turning the Summits process into an international organization were taken.
Nakhchivan (2009) and Istanbul Assembly (2010)
The ninth meeting of the "Assembly of Turkic-Speaking States" took place on October 1-2 in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. Turkmenistan was represented at the meeting at the Vice President level, however, Uzbekistan was not present. The signing of the "Nakhchivan Agreement" on the foundation of the "Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking Countries" is the summit's most significant institutionalizing event. The "Nakhchivan Agreement" was not ratified by Turkmenistan because it insisted it would always remain neutral. The agreement was accepted by the other four founding members (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey), and it became effective on November 17, 2010. When the Nakhchivan Declaration is considered, the summit's key topics included the following:
They stressed the significance of fostering more collaboration:
Expressing their belief that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline serve global energy security and sustainable economic development of the states in the region, increasing the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and trying to connect the pipeline with the Aktau port;
It was decided that the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway connection, which is a part of the East-West Corridor, will increase the volume of transportation between Europe and Asia, contribute to the development of international transportation and communication lines, and promote economic growth, security, and stability in the region;
Supporting increased contacts between parliamentarians, central and local administrations, and the press, which will enable the development of ties between the people of
Turkic-Speaking States;
Supporting the strengthening of religious and human contacts between Turkic Speaking Peoples;
Promoting and continuing interaction on cooperation for the reconstruction and peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan;
Underlining the importance of the contributions of the Conference on Cooperation and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) to the development of dialogue and cooperation on security issues in the Asian region, it was stated that CICA had made significant progress towards institutionalization during Kazakhstan's Presidency and that Turkey had made significant progress in 2010- They agreed to provide full support to the
Term Presidency that he will assume between 2012 and 2012;
Increasing cooperation within the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and providing support to Kazakhstan's Presidency of the OIC Foreign Ministers Committee, which is expected to be undertaken in 2011 ;
Supporting the candidacy of Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the period 2012-2013 ;
Providing diplomatic support to the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its grave consequences by peaceful means, within the framework of the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, its territorial integrity, and the inviolability of its borders;
Continuing the current cooperation within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), contributing to the strengthening of the Organization, establishing economic stability and increasing prosperity in the region;
To unanimously support the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev regarding the establishment of the TURKSOY fund, and to authorize the governments of the parties to work on the establishment and organizational activities of the TURKSOY fund.
The Istanbul Declaration was ratified during the ninth summit of the "Assembly of Turkic-Speaking States" on September 16, 2010. Opportunities for multilateral collaboration and concerns about enhancing cooperation, particularly in the economic sector, were explored at the summit. The President of Uzbekistan continued to avoid the Summits and did not attend, despite the fact that five Turkic-speaking nations, including Turkmenistan, were there. The following problems were highlighted during the summit, where the previous meeting's conclusions were reaffirmed.
They are pleased that the Secretariat of the Turkish Parliamentary Assembly (TURKPA) has become operational in Baku and that TURKPA will contribute to the development of cooperation between the country's parliaments;
Approval of the appointment of Turkey's candidate, Ambassador Halil Akıncı, as the first Secretary General of the Secretariat of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council);
Establishment of the Turkic Speaking States Business Council to improve economic cooperation;
Exploring the possibility of establishing the Development Bank of Turkic Speaking States and a joint Insurance Company in Istanbul in order to create new opportunities for the private sector and support development in non-oil sectors;
Increasing the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and trying to connect the pipeline with the Aktau port;
It is aimed to ensure that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway connections, which are planned to be implemented in 2012, are established in a short time;
Seeking the possibility of mutual recognition of credentials in the field of education, with the aim of raising future generations with closer ties;
They are pleased that the Turkish Academy has started its activities in Astana and they realize the need to establish the Turkish Academy as an international organization;
Establishing an inter-university union to support the work of the Turkish Academy and, in this context, encouraging cooperation models that will include joint teaching between universities;
Establishing a special fund in order to institutionalize the existing research and development potential in Turkic-speaking states.
Transformation into an Organization (Turkic Council)
An important occasion in October 2011 signaled the start of a new era in regional cooperation among Turkic-speaking states. Leaders from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan attended the first summit of the Turkic Council in Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the level of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Republic of Turkey was represented. The First Summit (Almaty) Declaration, describing important decisions and activities, was adopted as a result of the summit. The following explores the key takeaways from the summit, concentrating on media promotion, economic partnership, global initiatives, and other areas of cooperation.
Media Promotion and Coordination:
The creation of a "Media Platform" to promote the Turkic Council and associated organizations to the larger Turkic-speaking community was one noteworthy outcome of the summit. In order to promote better mutual understanding and collaboration among member nations, this effort underlined the need for communication and information transmission. The summit also mandated that the Secretariat work in tandem to assess and develop methods for putting the suggestions made at the 2nd Council of Aksakals meeting into action. This emphasized the dedication to strategic development and implementation of programs intended to foster harmony and shared values among Turkic-speaking people.
Economic Relations and Entrepreneurship:
The summit's deliberations placed a strong emphasis on economic cooperation. Support was given to the choices made at the first meeting of the Ministers Responsible for the Economy, setting the foundation for the creation of working groups focused on entrepreneurship. These organizations sought to promote commerce and investment while fortifying economic relationships. Recognizing the potential for joint ventures to spur economic growth, the summit also urged the implementation of innovative projects within the framework of public-private partnerships. The necessity of a strong financial industry in the area was emphasized, and efforts to simplify real estate purchase regulations and improve the Insurance Companies Association were both advised.
International Projects and Transportation:
International initiatives were given a lot of attention during the Almaty Summit. There were two important projects found. The Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and other transportation infrastructure coming from Azerbaijani territory were used to provide connectivity between Caspian ports and oil terminals in Turkish states. The creation of these transportation corridors was viewed as a way to promote connectivity and economic cooperation. The summit also highlighted the significance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway link in enabling travel between Turkish states and its potential to foster economic cooperation.
Security, Cultural Issues, and Scientific Research:
Decisions made at earlier summits involving security and cultural problems were restated. These responsibilities demonstrated the member states' ongoing commitment to common principles and the maintenance of regional stability. The summit also witnessed the creation of a "Turkish Scientific Research Fund," demonstrating a commitment to furthering scientific and research projects among Turkic-speaking nations. This program has the potential to promote innovation and knowledge exchange, encouraging increased research and development collaboration.
The first summit of the Turkic Council, which took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, was a crucial turning point for regional cooperation among nations that speak the Turkic language. The Almaty Declaration, which summarized the summit's conclusions, demonstrated a commitment to fostering media outreach, enhancing economic ties, supporting international initiatives, and safeguarding common cultural values. With a goal of a more connected, affluent, and secure future for Turkic-speaking peoples, the ideas introduced during this summit established the foundation for improved cooperation among member states.
Steps Taken in Institutionalization of Turkish Integration and the Process of Transforming into an Organization
5. Nakhchivan Agreement (2009)
4. Antalya Assembly (2006)
3. Baku Assembly (2000)
2. Tashkent Assembly (1996)
1. Istanbul Assembly (1994)
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