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NUR SULTAN, Kazakhstan

Communication between Turkic-speaking countries will add a new dimension to Kazakhstan’s transition from the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin alphabet in 2023.

Despite gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan, which continued to use the Cyrillic alphabet like other former Soviet countries since 1940, decided to switch to the Latin alphabet in 2017 upon orders of then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The National Alphabet Commission was established and efforts to transition to the new alphabet were initiated.

Since then, writing the names of state buildings, streets, shops and pharmacies has become widespread in the Kazakh language using the Latin alphabet.

But the new alphabet, in which the apostrophe was used extensively, has been then criticized by Kazakhs, and current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave an order to redevelop the alphabet.

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of independence, the National Alphabet Commission introduced the improved national alphabet adapted for Latin letters.

The new alphabet, consisting of 31 letters, was presented after a Jan. 28 meeting that was chaired by Prime Minister Askar Mamin.

Murat Bahtiyaruli, who is a member of the Senate of Parliament and also a member of the Commission, told Anadolu Agency that nearly 3,000 experts have been working on the alphabet.

He said in the process of developing the new alphabet, the Commission took into account the experiences of Turkic-speaking countries.

“Studies were carried out with 18 linguistics experts from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Tatarstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan,” he said.

He stressed that Kazakhstan has an important history regarding the transition to the alphabet.

“We used the old Arabic alphabet until 1929. Then we switched to the Latin alphabet. We have been reading and writing in Cyrillic letters since 1940. Fear is voiced that our cultural heritage might be lost. However, this is not possible with the 21st century technology,” he said.

Bahtiyaruli pointed out that developed countries use the Latin alphabet and the transition from Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet “is of great importance” in socio-economic and political terms.

“This move will be an important factor in the widespread use of Kazakh language among the next young population,” he said.

He also emphasized that as of 2023, all schools in Kazakhstan will switch to the 12-year education system.

“Children who will go to primary school during the period in question and will begin to receive an education with the new Kazakh alphabet, which has been adapted to Latin letters,” said Bahtiyaruli.

Karligash Kurmangalikizi, another member of the National Alphabet Commission, said the new alphabet is similar to the alphabets of Turkic-speaking countries and that this may be an important issue in increasing integration between relative states.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara

BAKU, Azerbaijan

A Turkish foundation focusing on education declared that it aims to open its first school in Azerbaijan in its capital Baku by the end of 2021.

Noting that an agreement has been settled for the school’s opening, the chairperson of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, Prof. Birol Akgun, told Anadolu Agency that Turkey’s national education minister would sign the agreement in the coming weeks in Ankara.

“We would like to open several schools in Azerbaijan and convey the globally qualified educational knowledge that we have to Azerbaijan’s public as well,” Akgun said.

He added that Azerbaijan would be the 44th country where the foundation has schools.

Akgun said the school to be opened in Baku would consist of grades from pre-school to high school. The foundation will also provide training to teachers of the school on the use of IT technologies, teaching experiences, and curriculum development.

Stating that Azerbaijan won a glamorous victory in Karabakh, which was also appreciated and celebrated by the Turkish public, he said, “We are ready for any support if there is anything that we can do in the field of education, concerning the re-building of Karabakh and re-establishing the social and civilian life there.”

He added that they are getting prepared to open schools in Karabakh as well once Azerbaijan’s government provides security and concludes the strategic planning of the population that will settle in the provinces in the region.

“We are ready to utilize all our knowledge for the development of our brothers and sisters there,” Akgun remarked.

Turkish Maarif Foundation is an Ankara-based non-profit public educational foundation established in 2016 that aims to develop Turkey’s international education arena, enhance cultural and civilizational interaction, and pave the way for achieving common well-being.

*Contributions and writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara

Prof. Dr. Cengiz Tomar is the Acting Rector of Ahmet Yesevi International Turkish-Kazakh University

ISTANBUL

If it had not been for the COVID-19 outbreak, the Turkish Council’s informal summit, which will be held online in Turkistan on March 31, 2021, would have been held face-to-face. Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Hungary, will participate in this important summit. Turkistan, which was declared the provincial center by Nursultan Nazarbayev, the founding president of the Republic of Kazakhstan and a respected figure in the Turkic world, in 2018, became a completely new face with its hotels, museums, shopping centers, as well as cultural and educational institutions. But because of the course of the outbreak, it was decided to hold the meeting online. At this meeting, it is expected that Turkistan, where the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmet Yesevi and the International Turkish-Kazakh University of Khoja Ahmet Yesevi are located (formerly named ‘Yesi’), will be declared the “spiritual capital of the Turkic world.” The official summit will be held in Istanbul at the end of this year. At the Istanbul summit, the vision of the Turkish World 2040 prepared by the Turkish Council will be put on the table.

However, before these critical meetings, it is necessary to draw attention to the dizzying developments in relations between Turkey and the states of the region. As is known, in the 21st century, the weight of the world economy will be primarily fixed in Asia. This region is one of the most important pillars of Turkey’s multi-faceted foreign policy in recent years. The “Re-Asia” initiative launched by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Republic of Turkey in 2019 seems to have gained momentum, especially recently with the Turkish republics in Central Asia.

Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan in Karabakh also resonated here, and the issue of other Turkish republics supporting Azerbaijan, like Turkey, was raised. It is said in the region that the motto of Azerbaijan and Turkey, “one nation two states,” should now flow in the form of “one nation six states.” This is a significant development for the future of the Turkic world. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu recently visited Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. During these visits, many cooperation agreements were signed. Again, Turkey’s National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar visited Kazakhstan as part of military cooperation. Two weeks ago, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi also visited Turkey. The informal summit of the Turkish Council on March 31 will be held online, and the Turkish Council summit, which will take place at the end of the year, will also be held face-to-face in Istanbul.

Efforts to transition to the Latin alphabet in the Turkic world gained momentum. Uzbekistan, in particular, carries out necessary cooperation with Turkey in the field of education. Ahmet Yesevi University in Kazakhstan and Manas University in Kyrgyzstan are important institutions in the area of educational collaboration. The Turkish Council of Turkish Academy of International Turkish Culture Organization (TURKSOY), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TURKPA), Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) carries out many vital functions. The presidency of Turks Abroad offers scholarship opportunities for higher education in Turkey to students from this region and carries out many projects. It is expected that these relations will continue to increase in the coming years. Only in the reconstruction of the city of Turkistan within two years, Turkish companies have a significant share in investments in airports, shopping centers, hotels, and infrastructure. Direct flights to Istanbul from the airport operated by a Turkish company are expected to begin, and in addition to The Hive, Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent axis of Uzbekistan, the city of Turkistan in Kazakhstan will also be an important destination center, especially for Turks. Currently, thousands of Turkish companies and employees serve in Kazakhstan.

The strategic partnership agreement signed with Kazakhstan in 2019 has already taken the good relations between the leaders and peoples of the two countries to a higher stage. Kazakh officers were already training in Turkey as part of their military training. Again, the exchange of professional experience in military schools took place, and after that, cooperation with Turkey in the field of cybersecurity was announced personally by the Defense Minister of Kazakhstan. Kazakh soldiers will increase their experience by participating in exercises in cold weather conditions with the Ephesus exercise. Meanwhile, Turkish-made armed UAVs’ success in Syria and Karabakh has attracted the attention of the armed forces in the region, including Kazakhstan. After the defense minister’s recent visit, military and technical relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan are expected to gain further momentum.

During the last visit of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Tileuberdi to Ankara, it was emphasized that the developing relations in all areas reached the level of strategic partnership and a mutual agreement was reached to maximize these relations. Turkey is described as the first sister to recognize this country officially, and Turkey’s medical assistance during the COVID-19 outbreak is remembered with gratitude. Turkey, Turkish language, Turkish series, Turkish products and Turkish companies, Istanbul and Antalya as tourism destinations have all become brands there.

Relations with Uzbekistan have significantly improved since 2016, albeit a little late. Several cooperation agreements were signed as a result of mutual visits by the leaders and foreign ministers of the two countries. These two countries, which have close ties historically and culturally, are equally eager to develop relations with the Turkic world. Turkey-Uzbekistan relations, which soon rose to the level of strategic partnership, have also turned into cooperation in international institutions such as the UN, UNESCO, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Turkish Council, and TURKSOY. However, efforts to mutually abolish the visas between citizens of both countries could not make it to the expected level due to the outbreak, though two major tourism destination in Turkey and Uzbekistan in the field of tourism holds great potential for cooperation. Especially in tourism facilities and construction works, Turkey has already contributed significantly to the growth of Uzbekistan’s existing tourism potential with many companies; meaningful collaborations are taking place in the field of health, logistics, transportation, and service sectors and especially in the field of education in Turkish and Uzbek institutions. There is rapid cooperation both on the basis of universities and faculties and between research institutes and libraries; some Turkish universities have opened branches in Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, where TIKA also conducts important activities, cooperation in the field of education and culture is expected to be crowned with a Turkish-Uzbek University, just as in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

For the Turkic world, the increasing cooperation of pivot (axis) countries such as Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan is of great importance for the unity of the Turkic world in the future. Let’s end our article with the last word, as always: “two hands are better than one” or “strength is born from unity.”

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu Agency.

ANKARA

Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a video conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart on Wednesday.

The Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement that Akar and Zakir Hasanov discussed joint military exercises that were launched.

During the meeting, Akar said the countries draw their strength from a common historical and cultural unity.

“Our brotherhood, unity, and solidarity, strengthened in every field under the principles of one nation, two states, almost became clinched with the liberation of [Nagorno] Karabakh,” Akar said.

The injustice and trouble that Azerbaijan has faced for 30 years came to an end, he stressed.

Congratulating Azerbaijan once again for its success during the 44-day-long conflict with Armenia, he said they prepared and started to implement a roadmap “to support the restructuring and modernization of the Azerbaijani army in line with the requirements of the age” and for the armed forces of the countries to further work together in the future.

Underlining the importance of going back to normalization in the liberated territories, he said the region must be cleared of mines and hand-made explosives.

Liberation of Karabakh

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, 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 a Nov. 10 deal last year ending the conflict, 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.

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan

The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan is set to switch to the Latin alphabet on Jan. 1, 2023, after a 30-year transition period.

Following its independence from the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan, which has continued to use the Cyrillic alphabet like other former Soviet republics since 1940, adopted a law on Sept. 2, 1993, to switch to the Latin alphabet.

While both alphabets are being used at the same time in the country, official correspondence is still carried out with the Cyrillic alphabet.

However, schools and universities teach through Uzbek books in the Latin alphabet.

Adapted to Latin letters consisting of 31 letters and separation marks, this alphabet was updated in 1995 as 29 letters. The letters sh, ch, o’ and g’ were replaced respectively with the letters ş, ç, ö and ğ in the alphabet in 1993.

A new draft was prepared to amend the “Law on the implementation of the Uzbek alphabet adapted to Latin letters” and was adopted with the signature of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to change the Latin alphabet adopted in 1995.

This reform was reversed with a new proposal in 2019 that replaced the digraphs with diacritical signs. Instead of the letters sh, ch, o’ and g’, the letters ş, ç, ğ, upper-dashed o (ō) and ng were used as in the Turkish language.

Following the adoption of the new alphabet draft, which was presented to the public for discussion, the country will switch to the Latin alphabet on Jan. 1, 2023.

After that date, all institutions will carry out official correspondence using the Latin alphabet, while media outlets, electronic media, news websites, and printing houses will also use the alphabet.

Identity cards, residence permits, names of streets, institutions, placards and signboards will be prepared in the Latin alphabet.

New alphabet to bring Uzbekistan closer to Turkic nations

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, linguist Marufjan Yuldashev said the adaptation of the Uzbek alphabet to Latin letters in 1993 was one of the most serious changes after independence.

Yuldashev, who is an adviser to Uzbekistan’s culture minister, said the change was made to eliminate the deficiencies in the Cyrillic alphabet and to emphasize the political independence of the country.

Noting that he is also involved in a working group formed to prepare the new alphabet, he said: “Our new alphabet becomes more understandable for all Turkic states that will switch to the Latin alphabet.

“Uzbekistan will get closer to the Turkic-speaking countries by switching to the Latin alphabet.”

Referring to the long transition period, Yuldashev said the country should stop using both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets at the same time.

ISTANBUL

After a 30-year occupation, the Nagorno-Karabakh region is set to be completely rebuilt, from infrastructure to roads and hospitals, and Turkish contractors will play a key role in this, according to an investment bank CEO.

Azerbaijan wants to work with Turkish contractors, known for their experience in construction in the region, said Cenk Eynehan, the CEO of Istanbul-based PASHA Bank, whose parent company is located in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.

Around 1.5 million Azerbaijanis will return to the region as it pursues projects in infrastructure, road, agriculture, energy, education, and health, he stressed.

He said Azerbaijan so far allocated a budget of 2.2 billion Azerbaijani manats ($1.3 billion) for the projects, and the budget is expected to rise by tens of billions of dollars in the coming years.

Eynehan said Turkish contractors will play a part in the 100-kilometer (62-mile) Fuzuli-Shusha motorway and Fuzuli Airport projects.

PASHA Bank will also play a role in financing facilities for the rebuilding process.

He stressed that under new agreements following Azerbaijan’s victory in Nagorno-Karabakh last fall, trade routes to China will be more active and trade will grow.

“We believe that the economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries will become stronger for the prosperity and future of the region,” Eynehan added.

Liberation of Karabakh

In 1991, the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh (Upper Karabakh), internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions.

Last Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, which ended under a Nov. 10 deal, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian army occupation.

Trade agreement to boost ties

Turning to bilateral economic ties, Eynehan said Turkey’s investments in Azerbaijan total around $12 billion, while Azerbaijan’s investments in Turkey amount to some $19.5 billion.

Some 21.6% of all foreign companies in Azerbaijan are Turkish-capitalized, he stressed.

“Turkey and Azerbaijan’s bilateral trade was nearly $4.5 billion in 2020,” he said.

“Under the new preferential trade agreement which came into effect this March, the trade volume is targeted to reach $15 billion.”

He said the pact includes important measures to zero out quotas and custom taxes for 15 product groups.

He also said in the future the two countries can work to eliminate double taxation and reach new free trade agreements.

On visa-free travel between the two countries, which started on April 1, he called the move very positive for economic relations.

He said in 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic, Azerbaijanis launched 148 firms in Turkey and bought 1,279 houses.

On his bank’s position between the two countries, he stressed that the bank serves as a “financial bridge” for businesspeople aiming to invest in the business between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

Fuat Oktay, Baghdad Amreyev discuss upcoming informal summit of council

21.02.2021

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.

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan

The Kazakh Army has tested the Turkish-made Arma 8×8 armored combat vehicle and Nefer remote-controlled weapon system, an official statement said Monday.

According to a Kazakh Defense Ministry statement, the Turkish-made Arma and Nefer were tested as part of the country’s efforts to acquire the best equipment available on the global arms market.

During the tests at the Spassk test range in the northeast Karaganda region, army officials examined the Turkish-made vehicle and weapon system specifications closely.

The Nefer, equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun and a 30mm automatic gun, was specially designed for Kazakhstan by Turkish defense electronics giant Aselsan taking into account the country’s harsh winters.

The Arma, produced by Turkish Otokar, one of the world’s leading wheeled armored car manufacturers, offers a modular and highly protected hull design and exceptional cross-country performance, according to the company.

The Kazakh army already uses Otokar’s Cobra armored cars.