SHUSHA WRITES TURKIC HISTORY

An informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 5-6 July in the Azerbaijani city of Shusha. The leaders in attendance reaffirmed their commitment to further integration within the OTS, which is becoming an increasingly influential centre of Eurasian politics and economics.

Paving way to become a centre of power

Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, has once again become a site for Turkic integration. On June 15, 2021, less than a year after the city's liberation from Armenian occupation, the Shusha Declaration on alliance relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, the states acting as the driving forces of the OTS, was signed in this location. Subsequently, TURKSOY designated Shusha as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World for 2023. A comparable occurrence was the designation of Shusha by ISESCO as the cultural capital of the Islamic world for 2024. The convening of the informal summit of the OTS marked a significant turning point, confirming the pan-Turkic and pan-Muslim significance of this liberated jewel of Garabagh – Shusha.

The Shusha Summit was attended by the presidents of Azerbaijan (Ilham Aliyev), Uzbekistan (Shavkat Mirziyoyev), Kyrgyzstan (Sadyr Zhaparov), and Kazakhstan (Kasym-Jomart Tokayev), as well as the Vice-President of Türkiye (Cevdet Yilmaz), the prime minister of Hungary (Viktor Orban), the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Ersin Tatar), and the secretary general of the OTS (Kubanychbek Omuraliyev). All summit participants expressed their interest in further strengthening the OTS as a centre for unity within the Turkic world.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the expansion of relations with Turkic countries and the reinforcement of the Turkic world and the Organisation of Turkic States represent a principal objective of Azerbaijan's foreign policy. "Azerbaijan has consistently endeavoured to foster a unified Turkic community, bolster its political, economic, and military capabilities, and establish itself as a pivotal global influence," asserted Ilham Aliyev. He further emphasised that the commitment of the peoples of these nations to traditional values and ethnic unity serves to bind them closely together. "The 21st century should become the century of prosperity for the Turkic world."

The Azerbaijani head of state highlighted the symbolic significance of the summit held in Shusha, which followed Azerbaijan's complete restoration of its territorial integrity and sovereignty on 20 September the previous year. The city of Shusha, regarded as the cultural and socio-political epicentre of Nagorno-Karabakh, has historically served as a vital hub for the region. The occupation of Shusha by Armenia in May 1992 constituted a significant tragedy for the Azerbaijani people. The Azerbaijani people never acquiesced to this occupation; they continued to aspire to return to Shusha and their other territories under occupation, and ultimately achieved this goal. Aliyev also highlighted the implementation of the Great Return Programme in Nagorno-Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.

The President of Azerbaijan identified the expansion of the East-West transport corridor as a priority area for the OTS's activities. In particular, as a consequence of Azerbaijan's further investment, the annual throughput capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which constitutes an integral part of the Middle Corridor, has been increased from 1 to 5 million tonnes. Furthermore, the Alyat International Trade Port will undergo an expansion of its throughput capacity, increasing from 15 to 25 million tonnes. This is particularly noteworthy in light of Azerbaijan's ownership of over 50 merchant vessels operating on the Caspian Sea.

The President of Kazakhstan, who is currently chairing the OTS, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, has reaffirmed his country's willingness to provide a platform for peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia at any time. He underscored the significance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and urged the formulation of tangible solutions to safeguard the Caspian Sea and address the issue of Aral Sea desiccation through enhanced collaboration between scientists from Turkic countries.

The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Zhaparov, highlighted that the meeting was taking place in the historical city of Shusha, which he described as a symbol and pearl of the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, as well as a new symbol of unity and solidarity among Turkic peoples. This sentiment was echoed by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who emphasised that Shusha, 'this sacred city, considered the pearl of beautiful Garabagh, is a vivid symbol of the historic victory that clearly demonstrated the courage, unmatched steadfastness, true bravery, and unity of the Azerbaijani people'.

The Uzbek leader observed that the summit is occurring in the context of an increase in global risks and threats. "In such a challenging situation," he stated, "it is necessary to allow time for the elevation of our relations, which draw strength from the spirit of eternal brotherhood, to a qualitatively new level and for their development with joint approaches."

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, representing his country at the summit while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was engaged in a football match in Germany, expressed his delight at being "in one of the cultural capitals of the Turkic world, the jewel of Garabagh—free Shusha." He observed that, despite the inaction of international organisations in the face of injustice against Azerbaijan over many decades, the Azerbaijani people have been able to reclaim their rights thanks to their courageous actions under the guidance of President Ilham Aliyev. It is regrettable that states that did not intervene to protect the rights of one million Azerbaijani citizens who were displaced from their homes during the First Garabagh War are now making unsubstantiated allegations against Azerbaijan. "It is imperative that the Turkic world offers robust support to Azerbaijan in the face of these unfounded allegations, both for the sake of our fraternal bond and for the cause of justice."

Cevdet Yılmaz emphasised the necessity of establishing enduring peace and stability in the South Caucasus, noting that this is "of paramount importance not only for the countries of the region but also for global security and communications, as regional transport routes will be opened." The opening of these routes will facilitate enhanced regional cooperation, thereby creating substantial new opportunities for the entire Turkic world, including Central Asia and the Black Sea and Caspian basins.

The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, who holds observer status in the OTS, conveyed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, for extending an invitation to this esteemed event in Shusha. Additionally, he conveyed profound respect for the Azerbaijani leader, commending him for providing hundreds of thousands of individuals in the region with the opportunity to live in peace. He further described the OTS as "an organization that is of paramount importance for fostering collaboration between Eastern and Western entities."

Ersin Tatar, the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, expressed great satisfaction at participating in the summit in Shusha, which is regarded as the "spiritual capital of the Turkic world". In his address, Tatar expressed gratitude to President Aliyev for his considerable support of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, noting that this support has been instrumental in the advancement of the country's interests. "The most significant asset of the Turkic world is its unity, equality, and solidarity." From this perspective, he emphasised that the presentation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an integral part of the Turkic world in ancient Shusha is an extremely important and historic event.

The positions and approaches of the Turkic leaders were articulated in the concluding document of the Shusha Summit, the Garabagh Declaration. This declaration, which incorporated a number of initiatives pertaining to the future development of the OTS, can be considered a document of great strategic importance.

Garabagh Declaration

The content of the Garabagh Declaration, signed on 6 July in Shusha, largely reflects the theme of the informal TNA summit, which was "Building a sustainable future through transport, connectivity, and climate action." The Heads of State of the TNA articulated their perspective on the Turkic world as a familial entity, predicated on shared ethnic origins, historical experiences, linguistic and cultural traditions, and a collective value system. Furthermore, the historical significance of the Turkic peoples in global political, economic, and civilizational development was underscored. In light of the prevailing geopolitical challenges, the leaders of the OTS countries underscored the necessity for a unified stance among Turkic states. They articulated a common position on several issues, as outlined in the 31-point Garabagh Declaration.

In particular, the importance of utilising the full potential and capabilities of the Turkic states across a range of domains, including political, economic, transport, defence, industrial, humanitarian, educational and cultural, was reaffirmed. This is with a view to further strengthening the strategic partnership and developing a collective strategy for the TNA. The Turkic Heads of State emphasised the necessity of establishing more ambitious objectives, given the global potential of Turkic states.

It is noteworthy that the Shusha Summit expressed support for the advancement of ties among Turkic states through the establishment of appropriate transport infrastructure and the creation of efficient transregional corridors. This is in consideration of the pivotal role that Turkic states play in the advancement of global trade and the economy, both regionally and on a global scale. The Garabagh Declaration places an emphasis on the strengthening of regional connections and economic integration among member states through the East-West Trans-Caspian International Corridor (Middle Corridor), which serves to link Europe, Türkiye, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and China.

Furthermore, the OTS countries expressed their approval of the signing of a momentous agreement on 6 June 2024, which was reached between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China. This agreement pertains to the joint promotion of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project. It is anticipated that this initiative will contribute to the enhancement of international trade, investment, and transit potential across the entire OTS region.

The Turkic leaders expressed satisfaction at the sustained growth in regional trade and agreed to implement concrete measures to realise its full potential in the coming years. Furthermore, the importance of removing technical trade barriers without compromising international commitments and accelerating negotiations concerning the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) was emphasised.

A substantial proportion of the Garabagh Declaration is devoted to the subject of climate change. The leaders of the OTS countries emphasised the importance of enhanced collaboration in addressing these challenges, and announced plans for the establishment of an OTS Digital Platform on Climate and Environment, as well as an OTS Forum on Climate Resilient Villages. Furthermore, the participants expressed their support for the implementation of the Digital Silk Road project, which aims to establish a new telecommunication backbone route between Europe and Asia. Furthermore, the importance of developing a comprehensive language model for the member states was emphasised, with the objective of facilitating successful advancements in artificial intelligence projects.

Furthermore, the Garabagh Declaration addressed a number of other issues of strategic importance pertaining to Turkic integration. It is also noteworthy that the declaration emphasised the importance of consolidating efforts to develop space projects in a collaborative manner, with the aim of enhancing the potential and competitiveness of national space programmes while fostering comprehensive development in space technologies.

The Garabagh Declaration therefore represents a significant milestone in the process of Turkic integration, reaching new strategic frontiers that align with the demands of an evolving global order.

"Today, we reaffirmed the unity of the Turkic world"

One particularly noteworthy aspect of the Shusha Summit was the decision to support the Government of Azerbaijan in hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, scheduled for November 11-22, 2024. Additionally, the proposals put forth by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to convene a Regional Climate Summit in 2026 and to establish a permanent Turkic Environmental Forum at the ministerial level, with plans for its inaugural meeting during COP29, were met with approval.

Furthermore, the Shusha Summit highlighted initiatives from Azerbaijan, including President Ilham Aliyev's proposal to conduct informal meetings of the Council of Heads of State of the OTS on an annual basis, in conjunction with regular meetings of the SAG. Furthermore, the government of Azerbaijan announced the allocation of two million dollars from the capital city of Baku to the Secretariat of the Organisation of Turkic States. This decision is entirely consistent with the resolution adopted at the Shusha Summit to expand the Secretariat and increase the OTS budget.

In conclusion, the Shusha Summit served to reiterate Azerbaijan's pivotal role in facilitating the activities of the OTS. Concurrently, the significance of the Turkic world and the OTS for Azerbaijan was reiterated, with the latter being referred to as "our family," a term coined by President Aliyev. In light of these developments, the Garabagh Declaration underscored the spiritual significance of Shusha in uniting the Turkic peoples. It further observed that convening in Shusha, following the restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, symbolizes the unity of the Turkic peoples and their commitment to peace and justice.

Furthermore, the Summit conveyed its support for the Government and people of Azerbaijan in their efforts to reconstruct and restore territories that have been liberated. This encompasses the extensive clearance of mines and humanitarian demining operations, which are intended to facilitate the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced Azerbaijanis to their homeland.

In his concluding remarks, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev articulated the key outcomes of the Shusha Summit, stating: "The unity of the Turkic world has been reaffirmed today. The implementation of our joint projects has been given a new impetus. Furthermore, the importance of research and the promotion of Turkic civilisation, which has historically made a substantial contribution to world civilisation, was reiterated. Additionally, the expansion of ties between the Organisation of Turkic States and other international institutions was discussed.

This statement effectively encapsulates the results of the Shusha Summit within the context of the OSCE, an organisation that has already established its presence in the geopolitical and geo-economic landscape of Eurasia. This reality is anticipated to be reiterated at the forthcoming XI OTS summit in Bishkek on 24 October 2024. In accordance with the support expressed in Shusha for Uzbekistan's initiative, the adoption of the Charter of the Turkic World is on the agenda.