On July 6, the “Karabakh Declaration of the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States” was signed in Shusha.
‘Azerbaycan 24’ presents the Declaration:
“Karabakh Declaration of the Informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States.
The informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (hereinafter referred to as OTS) on the theme “Building a Sustainable Future through Transport, Connectivity, and Climate Action” was held on July 6, 2024, in Shusha, at the initiative of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, hosted the meeting. The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, His Excellency Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, His Excellency Sadyr Japarov, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, His Excellency Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Vice President of the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency Cevdet Yılmaz, the Prime Minister of Hungary, His Excellency Viktor Orban, the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, His Excellency Ersin Tatar, and the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, His Excellency Kubanychbek Omuraliyev participated in the meeting.
The heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States,
Considering the Turkic world as a family of Turkic peoples, who are committed to the ideas of peace, security, stability, development, and progress in the region and the world, based on their common ethnic roots, history, language, culture, traditions, and values;
Emphasizing the highest value of the contributions of the Turkic peoples on a continental scale and the role they have played throughout history in the development of global politics, economy, and civilizations;
Based on the political, economic, and human achievements of the Turkic peoples in the history of humanity;
Appreciating the successful organization of the OTS Jubilee Summit – the Astana Summit on November 3, 2023, held under the motto “TÜRKTIME,” which marked another important milestone in the future transformation of the OTS and the efforts for the integration of the Turkic world, as well as in strengthening the unity and welfare of their peoples;
Welcoming the proposal of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, to hold informal meetings of the Council of Heads of State (CHS) once a year, in addition to the regular meetings of the CHS, in accordance with the Nakhchivan Agreement on the establishment of the OTS;
Acknowledging the spiritual significance of the city of Shusha in bringing together the peoples of the wider Turkic world and declaring that the meeting held in Shusha, following the complete restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a clear manifestation of the unity of the Turkic peoples and their commitment to peace and justice;
Expressing their solidarity with the government and people of Azerbaijan in their efforts to reconstruct and rehabilitate the liberated territories, including large-scale demining activities and humanitarian mine clearance efforts, which will create conditions for the return of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani former internally displaced persons to their ancestral lands;
Confirming that stable and multifaceted relations among Turkic states are possible through joint efforts aimed at preserving a healthy planet via climate action;
Recognizing that current geopolitical and security challenges facing the world require the Turkic states to act as a united force and the necessity of regular consultations on regional and international issues of mutual interest,
Declared that they:
- Emphasize the historical significance of holding the informal OTS Summit in Shusha, which was the “Cultural Capital of the Turkic World” in 2023;
- Reaffirm the importance of utilizing the full potential and capabilities of the Turkic states in the political, economic, transport, defense industry, humanitarian, education, and cultural fields to strengthen and deepen strategic partnership and form a collective strategy of the OTS;
- Note the necessity of applying appropriate mechanisms and regulations for the effective implementation of the OTS’s duties and objectives through increased joint efforts and the execution of strategically significant regional projects, with more ambitious goals set considering the global potential of the Turkic states;
- Emphasize the importance of further developing connectivity among Turkic states through the creation of relevant transport infrastructure and efficient transregional corridors, given the invaluable role of the Turkic states in the development of global trade and economy in the region and the world;
- Call for close cooperation among member states to enhance regional connectivity and integration via the Trans-Caspian International East-West Middle Corridor, connecting Europe-Turkey-South Caucasus-Central Asia-China, as a cornerstone for sustainable development, economic prosperity, and international trade, by increasing trade volumes and attracting infrastructure investments in ports, railways, highways, and logistics hubs, and optimizing transport operations, customs procedures, and digitalization;
To this end, instruct the ministers responsible for transport to take future steps towards the optimization and digitalization of transport and transit procedures, the introduction of incentive mechanisms for the private sector to increase cargo volumes, and the establishment of regular transport services along the corridor;
- Appreciate the efforts of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey to modernize the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and expedite customs control of goods and vehicles along this route;
- Welcome the historic Agreement on joint cooperation signed on June 6, 2024, 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 to promote the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, which will also contribute to the enhancement of international trade, investment, and transit potential across the entire OTS region;
- Note with satisfaction the continuous increase in regional trade volumes and agree on the implementation of specific measures to reach the true potential of trade volumes in the coming years, emphasizing the importance of eliminating technical barriers to trade and accelerating discussions on the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) text, while adhering to international obligations;
- Highlight the necessity of closer cooperation in responding to climate change and its impacts on the sustainable development of the Turkic states through joint climate action;
- Promote the development of climate resilience within the framework of the “smart cities and villages” concept by encouraging the integration of clean energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, and by improving digital infrastructure, public services, and sustainable practices to enhance the quality of life, support economic growth, and strengthen climate action within the Turkic states, and to that end, propose discussions on the establishment of the OTS Climate and Green Digital Platform and the OTS Climate Resilient Villages Forum;
- Emphasize the significance of strategic partnership in the energy sector among the Turkic states, including the development of cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and welcome the recent developments in the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan energy system interconnection project (Green Corridor);
- Call for close cooperation on energy integration and interconnection among their energy systems, aiming to utilize the extensive renewable energy potential in the Turkic states and to develop extensive energy systems for the export and trade of electricity, including from renewable sources, among member states and to third countries;
- Encourage the development of an institutional building mechanism (Twinning) in areas of common interest such as trade, energy, and transport among the relevant agencies of OTS members for the transfer of experiences;
- Welcome the active implementation of the “Digital Silk Road” project, aiming to create a new telecommunication trunk route between Europe and Asia using the existing capacities and infrastructure of the OTS countries;
- Promote cooperation and exchanges among the Turkic states for the further development of digital government (e-Government) infrastructures; the harmonization of e-signature/digital signature mechanisms for electronic document exchange; the integration of online public services; the safeguarding of common cybersecurity measures against cyber incidents and cyberattacks; the establishment of policies, guidelines, and partnerships on artificial intelligence; and the development of policies and best practices for the creation of data centers and cloud infrastructures;
- Note the importance of the creation of a common platform in the form of a large language model for the successful development of artificial intelligence projects among member states and the use of the large language model to facilitate intercultural communication, develop educational platforms, improve healthcare technologies, and promote economic integration;
- Highlight the necessity of integrating space technologies in a comprehensive manner to enhance the potential and competitiveness of national space programs, and to combine efforts for the joint development of space projects to improve the technological development level and competitiveness of joint projects;
- Task the Secretariat with establishing a cooperation mechanism among the relevant agencies of member and observer states to collaborate in the field of environmental protection and climate agenda to strengthen regional and global responses to climate change challenges;
- Welcome the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan to establish a permanent Turkic Ecological Forum at the ministerial level, as declared at the Astana Summit in 2023, and its plan to hold the first meeting within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), hosted by Baku from November 11-22, 2024 (COP29);
- Wish the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan success in hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) from November 11-22, 2024, and support Azerbaijan’s consistent efforts to achieve concrete outcomes at COP29 in line with the expectations of the Convention’s parties.
- They express their readiness to participate in promoting the initiative to create a new global dialogue titled “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: Key Mountains within the UNFCCC Framework”;
- They welcome Kazakhstan’s initiative to host the Regional Climate Summit under the auspices of the UN and international organizations in 2026;
- They wish the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan success in hosting the 6th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asian countries in Astana on August 9, 2024;
- They reiterate their intention to continue joint activities in the field of defense industry in accordance with the national legislation of the member states and instruct the relevant bodies of the member states to take necessary measures in this regard;
- They express deep concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and condemn the indiscriminate targeting of civilians; call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and full compliance with international law, including relevant UN Security Council resolutions; and call for a just and long-term solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict based on a two-state solution;
They support the international recognition of an independent, sovereign, and united State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, welcome the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution of May 10, 2024, determining that the State of Palestine is eligible for UN membership and should therefore be admitted to the UN, and call on all countries that have not yet done so to recognize the State of Palestine;
- They welcome the valuable contributions of Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as observers to the OTS;
- They appreciate the ongoing cooperation and increasing synergy between Turkish cooperation organizations such as 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);
- The Kyrgyz Republic reaffirms its readiness to host the 11th OTS Summit in Bishkek on October 24, 2024;
- They take note of the proposal of the Kyrgyz Republic regarding the Council of Heads of Government/Vice Presidents;
- They support the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan regarding the Charter of the Turkic World and instruct the Secretariat to finalize the draft document for adoption at the next Summit in Bishkek;
- They welcome Hungary’s accession to the Agreement on the Establishment of the Turkic Investment Fund as a significant step in strengthening economic relations within the OTS;
The Heads of State of the OTS express their deep gratitude to His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for his significant and continuous contribution to the unity, solidarity, security, and prosperity of the Turkic world, his decisive leadership in strengthening the unified spirit of the OTS, and his chairmanship of the successful discussions at the informal Summit in Shusha, and highly appreciate the sincere hospitality of the Government and people of Azerbaijan.
The Secretary-General of the OTS is tasked with coordinating the mutual activities and joint efforts envisaged in this Declaration.
Signed in Shusha city on July 6, 2024, in Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, and Uzbek languages.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Vice President of the Republic of Turkey, Cevdet Yılmaz
