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ANKARA

Developing-8 countries agreed Thursday to enhance trade cooperation and bring their domestic trade volumes to at least 10% of the organization’s total trade in the next 10 years.

During the 10th Summit of Developing-8 (D-8) Organization hosted by Bangladesh and also attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the bloc adopted the D-8 Decennial Roadmap for 2020-2030 and the Dhaka Declaration 2021.

With the roadmap, the bloc aims to become stronger and more developed and to support the implementation of relevant strategies and action programs to help achieve the 2030 sustainability agenda set by the UN.

It also aims to design concrete project plans for each area of cooperation for achieving sectoral goals.

The establishment of the Developing-8 bloc was officially announced on June 15, 1997, at the Istanbul Declaration of the Summit of Heads of State and Government.

The bloc includes Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey.

ANKARA

The leaders of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, also known as the Turkic Council, gathered virtually Wednesday for an informal summit and agreed to change the organization’s name.

According to a declaration issued by the council, the leaders at the summit supported an initiative of the council’s honorary chairman, Nursultan Nazarbayev, “to change the name of the Turkic Council and instructed the foreign ministers and the secretariat to prepare the relevant documents to lay the basis for this decision at the 8th Summit of the Turkic Council envisaged to be held in the fall of 2021 in the Republic of Turkey.”

The declaration also proclaimed the city of Turkistan as “a spiritual capital of the Turkic World.”

During the virtual gathering, the council’s leaders “agreed that other prominent ancient cities of the Turkic world might be accorded with similar statuses on a rotating basis in the future.” Regulations on according similar statuses to other cities are to be prepared and adopted at the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) prior to the 8th Turkic Council Summit in Turkey.

The organization’s leaders hailed the secretariat “for the preparation of the initial drafts of the “Turkic World Vision – 2040” and “Turkic Council Strategy 2020-2025” and instructed the relevant authorities of the member states to work with the secretariat to prepare them for possible approval in line with their respective national procedures at the next summit.

Expressing solidarity with the government and people of Azerbaijan in their efforts to rehabilitate, rebuild and reintegrate the liberated lands of Karabakh, the council also “supported the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of mutual recognition of and respect for each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders.”

Noting the importance of the economic outlook for enabling the Turkic Council to set more ambitious and achievable goals, the declaration by the leaders also stressed the significance of the council for undertaking and effectively implementing regional projects of strategic importance, in particular in the fields of transport, customs, energy and infrastructure.

The 8th summit of the Turkic Council is planned to be held in Istanbul, Turkey on Nov. 12, 2021 depending on the COVID-19 pandemic situation, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The council was established in 2009 as an intergovernmental organization with an overarching aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking states.

It consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan as member countries and Hungary as an observer state.

ISTANBUL

The Turkic Council has gained global reputation enough to be dubbed as an international organization, the Turkish president said on Wednesday.

Addressing the meeting of the Turkic Council via video link at Vahdettin Pavilion in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the cooperation groups gained more importance in the face of the changes the world has been experiencing.

“The Turkic Council, which has completed its institutionalization in 12 years, has a high international reputation. I believe that it is time to entitle it an international organization,” he said.

“We hope to take a decision on this issue at the summit in Turkey,” he added.

Erdogan stressed that providing an uninterrupted connection to Europe via the Trans-Caspian East-West-Middle Corridor Initiative, shortly called Middle Corridor, will also increase the strategic value and prosperity of Turkic countries.

He also called to accelerate the work carried out in this field within the Council and to speed up negotiations to finalize the international combined freight transport agreement.

Turkey to stand by Azerbaijan by all means

Erdogan also congratulated his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev for their victory in Nagorno-Karabakh.

He reminded that 63 of 67 mosques in the Nagorno-Karabakh region were destroyed and churches were ruined.

“I attach great importance to the return of all of our fellow refugees to their lands by reviving this region of Azerbaijan,” he said.

The Turkish leader said it is important that they continue to stand by Azerbaijan by all means for the protection and revival of Turkish works in Karabakh.

“It is our hope that we will celebrate another festival in Shusha as soon as possible when we visit it after Eid al-Fitr,” he added.

Including Turkish Cypriots in Turkic Council activities

The Turkish Cypriots are integral part of the Turkish world, Erdogan said, and urged solidarity with them.

The president said he believes that the Turkish Cypriots will not be denied the necessary assistance to lift the injustices and embargoes they have been subjected to for years.

“The participation of the Turkish Cypriot people in the activities of the Turkic Council such as culture, education, science, and sports will help to disburden the effects of the isolation,” he added.

The 8th summit of the Turkic Council is planned to be held in Istanbul on Nov. 12, 2021 depending on the COVID-19 pandemic situation, Erdogan said.

The Turkic Council, or the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, was established in 2009 as an intergovernmental organization, with an overarching aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking states.

The council consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan as member countries and Hungary as an observer state.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin and Dilara Hamit

ISTANBUL

The intergovernmental organization of Turkic-Speaking States is set to virtually hold an informal summit on March 31, which would prepare the group for an upcoming official summit in Istanbul.

Speaking ahead of the informal meeting exclusively for Anadolu Agency, Secretary-General of the Turkic Council Baghdad Amreyev told the meeting was decided to be held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Telling that the Turkic Council aims for a united state of the Turkic world, Amreyev said the presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are to attend the upcoming summit.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban is to attend with observer country status as an official from Turkmenistan to attend as well.

“It’s the first summit of Turkic leaders, after the [Azerbaijan’s] Karabakh victory. That’s why the significance of this meeting is grown in the eyes of the public,” Amreyev said while adding that the “meeting is going to be an essential point in our efforts for strengthening the unity of Turkic World.”

On the summit’s agenda, the Secretary-General of the Council said Kazakhstan’s ancient city of Turkistan is to be declared as the spiritual center of the Turkic world.

The city with 2,000 years of history was Kazakh Khanate’s capital in the 16th to 18th centuries.

Turkistan, where the well-known Sufi sheik Khoja Akhmet Yassawi lived in the 11th century and was buried there after his death, played an essential role in Central Asia’s Islamization.

It was one of the spiritual, political and commercial centers of the historical Silk Way and started to revitalize after 1991 when Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union.

“We know the significance of this city [Turkistan] for the whole Islamic world,” Amreyev said while adding that other cities in the Turkic world “like Istanbul, Samarkand, Bukhara, Shusha, Baku, Almaty” in the future may also receive special status.

‘Turkic countries to participate in the rehabilitation of Karabakh’

Furthermore, multilateral cooperation, the situation in the region and the world, ways of strengthening cooperation with neighboring countries and international partners of Turkic Council member states are also to be addressed during the informal summit.

As the meeting will be the first gathering of all Turkic Council leaders following Azerbaijan’s Karabakh victory, Amreyev said the Council’s leaders “will show solidarity efforts towards rehabilitation to reconstruct the liberated territory of Karabakh… Our leaders will exchange views.”

He said that “another also important point is the participation of our private sector in rehabilitation works in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. We are going to convene the business forum in Baku at the end of April to discuss ways of using the potential of our private sector [towards the rebuilding of liberated lands in Karabakh].”

The former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan experienced tense relations for almost three decades after the Armenian military started occupying Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions, in 1991.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the nearly three-decade-long occupation during the 44-day conflict.

Despite the Nov. 10 deal, the Armenian army several times violated the agreement and martyred several Azerbaijani soldiers and a civilian, as well as wounded several others, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The Council under the Secretary-General’s leadership has prepared “Turkic Council Strategy 2020-2025 and Turkic World Vision-2040,” which are to be addressed during the informal gathering on Wednesday, Ameryev said.

With Turkic World Vision- 2040, “which constitutes our roadmap until 2040, we aim for stronger foreign policy coordination, Security cooperation, signing Free Trade Agreements, opening borders in transportation, and strong cooperation between our countries with the language and alphabet in particular,” he said.

Describing the 2020-2025 and 2040 documents as roadmaps for the Turkic Council’s cooperation towards the future, Ameryev hopes to for the member states’ leaders to adopt the documents during the formal Summit at Istanbul in autumn as he said the documents would “shape the future of the Turkic world, especially focuses on strengthening economic ties between our member states, reaching the preferential trade agreement.”

Besides establishing an FTA among Turkic Council member states, Ameryev added that “establishing additional mechanisms of our economic cooperation” is also on the agenda.

‘Over ten countries seek observer status’

Telling that the Turkic investment fund is close to being finalized, he noted that the fund is a “very important financial instrument to support many of our small and medium-sized enterprises.”

He further said that the Council is “focusing on developing the existing transportation routes,” and said, “that’s why we started last year, the realization of a ‘green corridor’ between our countries through Azerbaijan.”

The ‘green corridor’ is known as an international fast-track transport line for essential goods.

“In general, the Turkic Council does its best to develop multilateral cooperation in the fields of political, economy, science, culture and education, military, law, environment, energy, transportation, investment and finance,” he said.

On Turkey’s taking term presidency from Azerbaijan by holding the Summit of Turkic Council this year, Ameryev hailed Turkey’s position in the Council and told the country has “always played a very important role in strengthening our cooperation in all fields.”

“I think that Turkey will continue to play a leading role in consolidating unity and cooperation,” he added.

In response to a question on Ukraine’s request to receive observer status at the Council, Ameryev told the Council is “considering now requests that came from our international partners. More than ten countries expressed their intention and wish to be to have observer status.”

“Now we have only one observer country, which is Hungary. In the future, we’ll be having, of course, more observers in our organization. We are currently finalizing the regulations on the topic of observer countries. After it is completed, possibly some time in autumn Summit, we will be able to start to receive observers,” he added.

ANKARA

People across the Turkic speaking nations shared with Anadolu Agency their customs and traditions of celebrating Nowruz, a spring festival which has been celebrated for more than 18 centuries across Anatolia and Asia.

The traditional festival is celebrated by various ethno-linguistic groups mainly in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Albania, and Macedonia and falls on or around March 21. However, many nations keep celebrating the holiday for up to 10 days.

In 2009, Nowruz was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity.

Nature’s four elements

Sevinj Akhmedova, 33, from Azerbaijan said Nowruz is celebrated with great vigor in her country.

“The festivities begin four weeks prior to the day of Nowruz. During the month leading up to Nowruz, every Tuesday is devoted to celebrating nature’s four elements consecutively: water, fire, earth, and air or wind,” she said.

Akhmedova said they usually celebrate Nowruz with family members.

Every sweets baked for Nowruz has a symbolic meaning, she said, adding that rhomboid-shaped national Baklava represents the four parts of the world, Gogal represents the sun, and Shekerbura the moon.

Jasur Mamed, a 24-year-old student of Ahiska Turks from Azerbaijan, said in the region where he was born and raised, Ahiska Turks and Azerbaijanis have been living together for more than half a century and thus both sides have adopted this union so closely that it is almost impossible to understand which customs belong to Ahiska Turks and which belong to Azerbaijanis.

During the festivities of Nowruz, which Mamed said is a family holiday, various traditional games and comic shows such as Kos-kosa are performed, where symbolic characters of Nowruz — Kechal (bald-headed), who represents the spring, and Kosa, who represents the winter — attract people’s attention.

Mamed also underlined that this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public celebrations have been restricted, adding that to honor the martyrs of the recent Karabakh war, the celebrations were also suspended.

Jasurbek Saparbayev, 25, from Turkmenistan, said March 21-22 is celebrated as the National Spring Festival and is an official public holiday in his country.

For people of Turkmenistan, Nowruz reminds them of the revival of nature, peace and harmony between people, the representation of good neighborliness and friendly relations, and heralds spring’s arrival, he said.

Various cultural events, festivals, folklore-ethnographic shows and concerts are held all over the country during the festivities, said Saparbayev.

Sounds of karnay

Aiymbubu Keneshbekova, 22, from Kyrgyzstan said her countrymen mark Nowruz, which coincides with the vernal, or spring equinox, on March 21 as the beginning of a new year.

The day of Nowruz begins with the sounds of the karnay — a traditional long wind musical instrument — while a table covered with a white tablecloth is crowded with national Kyrgyz dishes, she said.

Sumolok — also known as Samani, or Sumalak in various Turkic states — a sweet paste made entirely of germinated wheat and prepared for nearly 24 hours in a large pot, is an “obligatory attribute” of the festive meal, said Keneshbekova.

“Small stones are also being added into the paste so that the Sumolok does not get burned while being prepared for such a long time. It is believed that if you find one of these stones in your cup of Sumolok, you can make a wish, and it will definitely come true.”

Keneshbekova went on saying that Sumolok takes a long time to prepare, so women, in order to pass the time and fill the atmosphere of cooking with positive energy, accompany the whole process with songs, dances and poems.

In Kyrgyzstan, boys born on March 21 are usually named Nooruzbek or Nooruzbay, and girls — Nooruzgul, she said.

In the days before Nowruz, she said, it is customary to tidy up your house, pay debts and ask for forgiveness from those whom you once offended.

The whole holiday is accompanied by national games, including archery competitions, horse races, team competitions in Kok-boru — a traditional horse game — and dancing.

Aisulu Tynyshova, also from Kyrgyzstan, said in every village of her home country, they have small communities consisting of dozens of families from the same tribe which usually collect money and buy sweets, fry Boortsog — a small square shaped fresh dough — cook special soup and organize a “splendid celebration.”

Tynyshova recalled that her nation used to cook Sumolok when she was a kid, adding that nowadays, “it’s a rare thing” as “people switched to mass production and selling it on streets.”

She added that usually many other tribes in the villages cook Beshbarmak — the national dish among nomadic nations in Central Asia — for Nowruz.

Conveying traditions to young generations

Zebiniso Kamalova, 37, from Uzbekistan said that Nowruz literally means “new day,” adding that this year’s Nowruz marks the first day of the new solar Hijri calendar year of 1400.

She underlined that the arrival of spring, the pullback of the frosty days, and the awakening of nature are celebrated with enthusiasm in Uzbekistan.

“On the occasion of the long-awaited Nowruz festival every year, the people in villages, towns and cities come together, organize festival ceremonies, sing songs, dance and have fun. The festive atmosphere does not leave the whole country for 10 days.”

Kamalova, who is also an international researcher at Istanbul Commerce University, said that Ulak-kupkari — one of the most ancient equestrian games — is among the main attributes of the festivities.

She said that the majority wear their national clothes, visit friends and relatives and participate in events held in yards, gardens and markets that continue for several days.

“In my opinion, Uzbeks do not have any other festival that is celebrated with the same enthusiasm and joy at the state level and by the people as Nowruz,” she added.

Kamalova emphasized that besides traditional Sumalak, Uzbek Plov — an authentic rice and lamb dish — is also being cooked in the holiday.

“We try to keep the festive atmosphere by conveying our traditions and customs that we have learned from our mothers and fathers to our children,” she concluded.

Traditional games, sports activities

Fayzulla Toltay, 24, from Kazakhstan said that the Nowruz feast is celebrated “on a very high level” in his country.

Up to 200 traditional tents are set up in the squares every year to mark the festivities, he said.

Toltay said that traditional games and sports activities such as Altybakan, a swing of 3-4 meters (9-10 feet) customarily used by two people, usually a girl and a boy, Kazakh wrestling and Aitysh, a contest centered on improvised oral poetry recited to the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments, are practiced and played during the festivities.

TEHRAN

Turkey can greatly contribute to cultural cooperation among regional countries, the head of Economic Cooperation Organization’s (ECO) Cultural Institute said on Monday.

“We see Turkey’s arts and culture an integral part of our common heritage, and welcome its leading role in cultural activities,” Sarvar Bakhti told Anadolu Agency.

Bakhti said Turkey, one of the founding members of ECO, plays a crucial role in promoting cultural cooperation in the region. “We want Turkey to play a more active role in the ECO Cultural Institute as cultural cooperation in the region cannot be complete without Turkey.”

“We cannot distinguish between Turkish, Persian, Tajik, Uzbek and Iranian cultures. In history, we were connected, complementing and learning from each other,” he said. “We were able to offer humanity a unique heritage. Many people don’t know what we have in common.”

ECO is a political and economic intergovernmental organization founded in 1985 in Tehran by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.

Its objective is sustainable economic development of member states, and the region as a whole.

Afghanistan and six former Soviet Republics, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, also joined the organization in 1992, forming one of the biggest regional blocs in Asia and beyond.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara

ANKARA 

A trilateral mechanism between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan has made significant contributions to the prosperity and stability of the region, the foreign minister of Turkey said on Tuesday.

“Our relationships built on special bonds have turned into a comprehensive partnership today. This trilateral mechanism, which we initiated in 2014, has made a significant contribution to the prosperity and stability of the region,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani and Turkmen counterparts.

Underlining that the meeting had been fruitful, Cavusoglu said the delegations reviewed the steps they had taken so far and voiced important ideas and proposals for the future.

He stressed that Turkey wants to work closely with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan as part of its Asia Anew initiative.

Turkey launched the initiative in 2019 to improve ties with Asian countries in various areas.

The ministers also discussed and determined a roadmap for an upcoming trilateral summit of the presidents of the three countries to be held in Turkmenistan, he added.

During the press conference, Cavusoglu also spoke about the “brutal competition” across the world for COVID-19 vaccines.

“We will continue our solidarity as three sister countries, while continuing our common struggle,” he said.

“Our relations have turned into a comprehensive partnership today,” Cavusoglu said on Twitter, adding that cooperation between the three countries would “continue to increase in every field including transportation and energy.”

During the meeting, the ministers signed a joint declaration that emphasized the importance of the trilateral mechanism to enhance multilateral cooperation opportunities. 

They agreed to strengthen commercial and economic cooperation, as well as to use their existing potential to encourage investment and trade, and to carry out joint projects and programs including energy, transportation, agriculture, tourism and the environment.   

‘Highest level relations’

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said they also had the chance to separately discuss bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

“Azerbaijan-Turkey relations are developing at the highest level in all areas,” he said, adding that bilateral ties continue to grow stronger by the day under the leadership of the two countries’ presidents.

The foreign ministers exchanged opinions on trade, energy, customs, transportation, security and agriculture fields during the meeting, he said.

Bayramov underlined that his country felt the “political and moral support” of the Turkish leadership and nation during the recent 44-day war with Armenia over the occupied Karabakh territories.

The clashes that erupted on Sept. 27 last year ended with a Russian-brokered truce nearly six weeks later. Baku liberated several strategic cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian occupation in that period.

“This support gave us extra strength and morale,” he said, stressing that the region’s new security format had been determined following the war.

Noting that the Turkish-Russian joint monitoring center had begun its operations in the region, Bayramov underlined Turkey’s role in achieving “sustainable peace.”

He also hailed Ankara’s support in minesweeping activities in the liberated territories and said that Turkey would also take part in the region’s reconstruction.

Bayramov also took note of an earlier deal with Turkey in which Azerbaijan, for the first time in its history, agreed to passport-free travel with Turkey.

On Dec. 10 last year, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed a protocol allowing mutual passport-free travel for nationals of both sides.

“The Azerbaijan-Turkey alliance is eternal. This was established on the basis of unity, friendship, brotherhood, strategic partnership, and mutual respect.”

Bayramov also said joint exploration and development of hydrocarbons in the Dostlug (Friendship) field in the Caspian Sea between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan would provide a positive contribution to the energy security of Turkey and other European countries.

The agreement on the joint exploration of the once-disputed section of the undersea hydrocarbon field was signed in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat on Jan. 21.

It is estimated that the field located in the middle of areas belonging to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan hosts reserves of 100 billion cubic meters (over 3.5 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas and 60 million tons of oil.  

‘Historic meeting’

Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan hailed the trilateral gathering as a “historic meeting,” noting that Turkey and Azerbaijan have always supported Turkmenistan’s initiatives in the international arena.

“Our Turkish and Azerbaijani brothers always support the initiatives put forward by the President of Turkmenistan [Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov]. We are hopeful that it will continue so in the future,” he said.

He emphasized that the three “brotherly” countries share a common culture, history, language, and civilization, adding that the officials discussed ways to deepen cooperation in these areas.

Experts will also work on furthering cooperation between Turkmenistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan in energy, transportation, technology, trade and other fields, Meredov added.

He also underlined that they discussed important issues, including political and diplomatic matters, during the tripartite meeting. 

Meredov said that they already started preparations for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Turkmenistan this year.

ANKARA

Highlighting close ties with Turkmenistan in various fields, including energy, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Ankara is ready to do its part to bring Turkmenistan’s natural gas through Turkish soil to Europe.

“Our economic relations [with Turkmenistan] are gradually increasing, our trade volume is expanding despite the [COVID-19] pandemic,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint news conference with his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov in the capital Ankara.

Mentioning that the two countries have ties on regional issues as well as energy and transportation, he noted that the cooperation in the fields will be enhanced.

Turkey and Turkmenistan will soon further strengthen their close cooperation on security, Cavusoglu added.

“We are pleased with the agreement reached between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea,” he said.

Opportunity for peace

In response to a question, Cavusoglu congratulated Azerbaijan once again for its victory over Armenia and pointed out the opportunity for peace and stability in the region.

“Now, there is an important opportunity for peace. If Armenia acts in this regard, it is Armenia that will benefit the most from the stability in the region,” he noted.

Touching on the Baku administration’s intense works towards the reconstruction of the cities that were destroyed by Armenia before the liberation of Azerbaijani territories, Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey and other countries from the Turkic world stand by Azerbaijan in this process and are ready to give the best support for the reconstruction, development, and peace of this region.

“Once there is peace in the region, it will be much easier to implement energy and transportation projects and everyone will benefit from this,” he added.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought for six weeks last year after new clashes erupted on Sept. 27. The Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation.

The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

Roadmap of cooperation

For his part, Meredov said they held a fruitful meeting and discussed strengthening bilateral relations.

“We have worked on a roadmap of our cooperation,” he noted, saying they also discussed the ties in fields of culture, education, science, and health.

The two countries have high-level relations on trade and economy, Meredov said, adding that the trade volume between Turkey and Turkmenistan amounted to $2 billion in 2020, which is “not bad, considering the pandemic conditions.”

Following the meeting, the foreign ministers signed the 2021-2022 Cooperation Program.

They also discussed preparations for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Turkmenistan, which is expected to take place this year.

ANKARA

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay received Baghdad Amreyev, secretary-general of the Turkic Council, his office said on Saturday.

During the meeting held in Oktay’s office in the capital Ankara, Amreyev gave Oktay detailed information ahead of the informal summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, which is planned to be held in Kazakhstan on March 31.

He also presented Oktay the 2020-2025 Turkish World Strategy and 2040 Turkish World Vision reports.

The Turkic Council, or the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, was established in 2009 as an intergovernmental organization, with an overarching aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking states.

The council consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan as member countries and Hungary as an observer state.

*Writing by Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL

To further cooperation among Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Central Asian nations, there is a need to harmonize their developmental strategies, and infrastructure development could pave the way, said speakers at an international conference in Istanbul.

“These countries are at different levels of development and we should find ways to harmonize development strategies of these countries,” said Mesut Hakki Casin, an advisor for Turkey’s Center for Diplomatic Affairs and Political Studies.

“Each country has its own priority areas like European Union for Turkey,” Casin said at a peace conference co-hosted by the Istanbul-based research center in partnership with Pakistan’s Lahore Center for Peace Research on Tuesday.

“It does not necessarily mean Turkey will turn its back to East [rather] Turkey with its EU aspirations will be more beneficial to Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and other countries,” he added.

‘Security to aid economic arrangement’

Salman Shah, an expert from Pakistan, noted that the cooperation among these nations depends on infrastructure, including transport, soft power, and local money.

“Turkey is growing fast and is a gateway to Europe while Pakistan is a gateway to China and Central Asia,” he said, adding that markets were becoming more important than resources.

“Turkey, Iran and Pakistan are key countries and anybody who has to deal with Eurasia has to deal with these three countries,” he underlined.

Calling China’s infrastructure alliance as a “new model” of development, Shah insisted on building physical transportation and other related infrastructure that “can have plenty of opportunities.”

“The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure runs close to Iran and Afghanistan, and it is a matter of time when it gets connected to these countries and then to Turkey and other countries,” he said.

Citing the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires, which had inter-trade ties and other relations, Shah said there is a “need to revive them.”

Shah said the responsibility of security of “our region should be within ourselves.”

“Security of the economic arrangement of these countries should remain with them and Turkey- Pakistan military exercises are significant in this,” he added, referring to just-concluded Ataturk 2021.

“Security of our region belongs to us – it is very good that Turkey on one end and Pakistan on the other end are collaborating in this regard,” he said. “Our problem is internal security of our region, making it viable for economic and cultural development.”

‘Collaboration for regional peace and development’

Vugar Bayramov, from Azerbaijan, said cooperation among Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan in strategy, projects and promotes regional peace and development.

Referring to trilateral cooperation among these countries, he said: “Connectivity – regional transportation corridors are essential for sustaining peace and development.”

“Transport corridors will increase exports and operations within different regions,” said Bayramov, Chairman of the Center for Economic and Social Development. “They connect supplies and demands.”

Recalling Azerbaijan’s call to Pakistan and Turkey to invest in Nagorno-Karabakh, Bayramov said the infrastructure development and connectivity would “promote multi-lateral relations with other countries.”

Meruert Makhmutova from Kazakhstan pointed to the oil-based economy of her country and the Central Asian region.

“Oil plays an important role in the economy in Kazakhstan,” Makhmutova, director of the Almaty-based Public Policy Research Center, told the conference.

“And the diversification of the economy, in Central Asian nations, will play an important role in connectivity,” she said.

She said in international cooperation, Turkey has great opportunities in Kazakhstan.

ISTANBUL

To further cooperation among Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Central Asian nations, there is a need to harmonize their developmental strategies, and infrastructure development could pave the way, said speakers at an international conference in Istanbul.

“These countries are at different levels of development and we should find ways to harmonize development strategies of these countries,” said Mesut Hakki Casin, an advisor for Turkey’s Center for Diplomatic Affairs and Political Studies.

“Each country has its own priority areas like European Union for Turkey,” Casin said at a peace conference co-hosted by the Istanbul-based research center in partnership with Pakistan’s Lahore Center for Peace Research on Tuesday.

“It does not necessarily mean Turkey will turn its back to East [rather] Turkey with its EU aspirations will be more beneficial to Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and other countries,” he added.

‘Security to aid economic arrangement’

Salman Shah, an expert from Pakistan, noted that the cooperation among these nations depends on infrastructure, including transport, soft power, and local money.

“Turkey is growing fast and is a gateway to Europe while Pakistan is a gateway to China and Central Asia,” he said, adding that markets were becoming more important than resources.

“Turkey, Iran and Pakistan are key countries and anybody who has to deal with Eurasia has to deal with these three countries,” he underlined.

Calling China’s infrastructure alliance as a “new model” of development, Shah insisted on building physical transportation and other related infrastructure that “can have plenty of opportunities.”

“The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure runs close to Iran and Afghanistan, and it is a matter of time when it gets connected to these countries and then to Turkey and other countries,” he said.

Citing the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires, which had inter-trade ties and other relations, Shah said there is a “need to revive them.”

Shah said the responsibility of security of “our region should be within ourselves.”

“Security of the economic arrangement of these countries should remain with them and Turkey- Pakistan military exercises are significant in this,” he added, referring to just-concluded Ataturk 2021.

“Security of our region belongs to us – it is very good that Turkey on one end and Pakistan on the other end are collaborating in this regard,” he said. “Our problem is internal security of our region, making it viable for economic and cultural development.”

‘Collaboration for regional peace and development’

Vugar Bayramov, from Azerbaijan, said cooperation among Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan in strategy, projects and promotes regional peace and development.

Referring to trilateral cooperation among these countries, he said: “Connectivity – regional transportation corridors are essential for sustaining peace and development.”

“Transport corridors will increase exports and operations within different regions,” said Bayramov, Chairman of the Center for Economic and Social Development. “They connect supplies and demands.”

Recalling Azerbaijan’s call to Pakistan and Turkey to invest in Nagorno-Karabakh, Bayramov said the infrastructure development and connectivity would “promote multi-lateral relations with other countries.”

Meruert Makhmutova from Kazakhstan pointed to the oil-based economy of her country and the Central Asian region.

“Oil plays an important role in the economy in Kazakhstan,” Makhmutova, director of the Almaty-based Public Policy Research Center, told the conference.

“And the diversification of the economy, in Central Asian nations, will play an important role in connectivity,” she said.

She said in international cooperation, Turkey has great opportunities in Kazakhstan.