NAXCIVAN MILESTONE

The ninth summit of the Turkic states held in Naxcivan was a landmark event in many ways. Essentially, Azerbaijan, Turkey and the Turkic states of Central Asia, linked by century-long cultural, religious and, of course, ethnic bonds, made a major bid to become an influential centre of world politics in the foreseeable future by forming an integrated community. 

Several days prior to the Naxcivan summit, a development took place in Baku which could also be considered a milestone for Turkic integration, potentially one of the major unification processes to occur in the Eurasia region. In late September the Azeri capital hosted the first plenary session of the Turkic States' Parliamentary Assembly, which was established by decisions of the eighth summit of Turkic states held in Antalya in 2006 and the 2008 meeting in Istanbul of the parliamentary speakers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey. The development of relations between the Turkic states in a broader format was cemented by the adoption in Baku of bylaws for the Turkic parliamentary assembly, the formation of a secretariat and the drafting of a budget for the organization.

Another stage in deepening Turkic integration was the implementation at the Naxcivan summit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's initiative to establish a new organization, the Cooperation Council of Turkic States, or the Turkic Council, whose declared goal is to strengthen ties in economics, cultural and humanitarian activity, and environmental protection. According to Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, "the signing of the agreement to establish a Cooperation Council of the Turkic States is a unique chance to combine the efforts of the Turkic states."

Selecting Naxcivan as the venue for the summit was also of some significance; it underscored the affiliation of this ancient and wonderful land to Turkic civilization. 

"Welcome to Azerbaijan, the ancient Azerbaijani land of Naxcivan!" President Ilham Aliyev greeted the summit. "Naxcivan is an ancient Azerbaijani land, with an ancient history and culture." 

The Azerbaijani leader underlined that "Naxcivan is the only region of Azerbaijan bordering on Turkey."

"The separation from Azerbaijan of its historic, ancient land - the Zangezur region - and its annexation to Armenia, we might say, split the great Turkic world geographically, i.e. the activity of the Turkic world as one family, a common force, was suspended for decades. But, by the decisions made and measures undertaken, we are strengthening these bonds further today. True, geographically, the Zangezur region, an ancient Azerbaijani land, which is currently part of Armenia, lies between us today. But the spiritual and political unity of the Turkic world, its unification by the implementation of economic projects and its efforts as a single force - this is reality today, it is the truth. We are making it happen and it is up to us to ensure this unity is maintained and strengthened and creates new opportunities for our peoples."

Turkish President Abdullah Gul recalled Naxcivan 's significance for other states as well. "Naxcivan is native and dear both to Azerbaijan and Turkey…The Azerbaijan-Turkey border in the Naxcivan region is physically a small one - 10-12 kilometres - but its political significance is tremendous. This border of ours is a very symbolic transitional point, linking Turkey geographically with [other] Turkic republics. On the other hand, due to the fact that Naxcivan is separated from the other territories of Azerbaijan, along with good neighbourliness and fraternal relations, we are linked by close ties."

Thus it was confirmed at the Naxcivan summit that Azerbaijan has the role of a bridge linking the European and Asian parts of the Turkic world. This role is reflected equally in cultural-humanitarian and political-economic interaction between the Turkic states. The proposal by President Ilham Aliyev to establish a foundation for the TURKSOY organization, stimulated by the need to step up cooperation in the restoration of historic monuments and to develop inter-cultural relations in the Turkic world, should be considered in this context. Having backed the Azerbaijani President's initiative, Kazakh President Nazarbayev supplemented it with a proposal to set up within this fund a Turkic-speaking academy to engage in study and research into the languages and culture of the Turkic nations. 

But the key importance of the Naxcivan summit is that it was actually the first formal bid to develop the Turkic community into a powerbase in world politics. Notably, it cannot be ruled out that the Cooperation Council of Turkic States will be transformed in the future into an influential international organization, commanding all the necessary levers of influence on the course of regional and global political developments. 

"If we come together, adhere to a common position on certain issues and strengthen this unity by systematic work, our international positions will strengthen further," said President Aliyev. "The Turkic countries have all the necessary requirements: natural resources - oil and gas fields are available, a favourable geographical location, powerful economies, the talent of their peoples, new infrastructures. If we put this potential together and incorporate it, the Turkic countries will become a major force on a global scale."

The other participants in the summit concurred with this statement. For example, President Bakiyev expressed confidence in the need to increase the role of the Turkic world in world politics. President Nazarbayev, for his part, recalling the reign of our forefathers "across the broad plains stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to Altay"  and the great and valuable heritage they left behind, noted that "in accordance with the demands of the present day, political ties between the Turkic states should enter a new stage."

So, the Naxcivan summit may, indeed, become a major milestone on the path leading to political integration in the Turkic world, although it should be admitted that not all countries are currently active in pursuing this integration. Turkmenistan was represented by Vice-Premier Hidyr Saparliyev at this high-level meeting, while Uzbekistan did not even deem it necessary to delegate a representative. As for Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, his absence from the summit was explained by his position concerning several oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea which belong to Azerbaijan but which are disputed by Ashgabat. Also, the absence of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, most probably stems from his country's lack of interest in stepping up the processes of Turkic integration, which has already been articulated by Tashkent. Actually, it is evident that all these nuances are temporary positions. Uzbekistan maintains very close bilateral ties with individual Turkic states, including with Azerbaijan. Thus there is no doubt that Tashkent, just like Ashgabat, will soon recognize the appropriateness of cooperation in a broader format within the Turkic community. In this connection, we may recall our recent common past: despite the relatively reserved nature of dialogues conducted with the Central Asian states by Azerbaijan, and also Turkey, in the years following the USSR's collapse, which were characterised by the assertion of statehood by the former Soviet republics, cooperation between these countries has increased greatly in a short period of time, opening up tremendous prospects for strategic partnership. And the Naxcivan meeting of Turkic leaders was a graphic illustration that such partnership can be successfully developed, despite any challenges that emerge.