Kazakhstan hosted informal Summit of Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States

On March 31, 2021, Kazakhstan organized an informal summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States.

The summit was supposed to take place in the Kazakh city of Turkestan, but due to the difficult epidemiological situation in the world, this international event was held online.

The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy and Honorary Chairman of the Council Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking Countries Baghdad Amreev participated on event.

Opening the meeting, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed gratitude to the Heads of State for accepting Kazakhstan's offer to participate in the informal summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States.

- We planned to organize this meeting in Turkestan, which is sacred for all of us. However, due to the difficult situation with the pandemic, it was decided to hold the summit in an online format. I hope that after the end of the epidemic, we can meet face to face. I take this opportunity to once again congratulate all of you on Nauryz. This is a special holiday of all the Turkic peoples. I wish prosperity to the fraternal countries," the President of Kazakhstan said.

In his speech, the Head of State noted that for all the Turkic peoples, Turkestan is the land of the fathers, a blessed place and a native hearth. It is known that our ancestors received spiritual knowledge here from the great teacher Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and spread the Turkic-Islamic culture in the world.

- Our goal is to turn the Turkic world into one of the most important economic, cultural and humanitarian regions of the 21st century. We urge to begin the modernization of the Turkic civilization by introducing the world to the heritage of Yasaui and sacred Turkestan. Therefore, today's summit is being held under the motto "Turkestan is the spiritual capital of the Turkic world," Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev emphasized.

The Head of State said that at the initiative of Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, the city of Turkestan was radically transformed and acquired a new look.

The President of Kazakhstan emphasized that despite the fact that the whole world is struggling with unprecedented challenges, the cooperation of the Turkic-speaking states has not slowed down. Meanwhile, in this difficult period, the States need to jointly seek new impulses to strengthen relations.

According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the only sure way to stop the pandemic is mass vaccination of citizens. Based on common interests, the President believes it is important to support each other and exchange experience.

In his opinion, the international community acted in a fragmented manner in the fight against the pandemic. Because of the contradictions between the major countries, the so-called "vaccine wars"began. In these difficult circumstances, the United Nations has also failed to use its potential.

Health and biosafety issues are of particular relevance in the current situation.

- At the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, Kazakhstan initiated the creation of the International Agency for Biosafety. I am sure you will support this idea. Undoubtedly, in the future, the Agency will contribute to the prevention of biological threats and the exchange of data on dangerous diseases, " the Head of State believes.

The pandemic caused an unprecedented economic crisis, which led to a decrease in mutual trade. Last year, the volume of trade between Kazakhstan and the member countries of the Turkic Council amounted to about $ 7 billion. This is 11.2 % lower than before the pandemic.

- One of the main tasks for our countries is to increase trade turnover. In this regard, I would like to note the broad investment and trade and economic opportunities of Turkestan, which has historically been located at the crossroads of roads. Taking into account its extensive resource base, human capital and tourism potential, I propose to create a "Special Economic zone" in the Turkestan region, uniting the Turkic countries," the President said.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes that the water and energy sector is also an integral part of the relations between the Turkic-speaking countries. The water issue in the region is very important and can cause serious problems. Effective and fair use of transboundary water resources is the key to the stability and prosperity of the region. The President of Kazakhstan expressed readiness to implement projects for the construction of hydraulic structures together with neighboring countries.

The Head of State called on the participants of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-speaking States to implement joint projects in such areas as artificial intelligence, big data analysis, digitalization, and online commerce. He believes that in the age of rapid technological development, this step will promote innovative development and strengthen the competitiveness of our countries. Kazakhstan is ready for a mutual exchange of experience in implementing e-government, advanced technologies and digital solutions that are widely used in the banking sector and the financial system.

The speaker also noted the need to speed up the work on the creation of the Turkic Investment and Integration Fund. This is the first joint financial institution of the Turkic-speaking states.

- After all the member states have worked out this initiative, I propose to place its headquarters in the Astana International Financial Center. The AIFC is a platform that combines the best experience of international financial institutions and modern tools. Islamic banking and Islamic bonds (sukuk) are widely used here. The center opens up great opportunities for attracting large-scale investments in the Turkic countries, " Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed.

Cooperation in the field of education is the main factor for the success of the partnership in the future. The President of Kazakhstan considers it important to form a common cultural and educational space. In his opinion, this initiative can be implemented through the creation of the educational fund "Great Turks". It will coordinate cooperation between universities on academic mobility, internships, and advanced training. The Head of State announced his readiness to allocate 50 grants for training young people of fraternal countries in the bachelor's program at the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. These grants will be called the "Yasawi Scholarship".

Speaking about the relevance of humanitarian and academic cooperation in the modern world, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that the city of Turkestan, the foundation of which was laid in the Middle Ages, from the point of view of archeology and science in general, has not yet been fully studied.

– It is very important that TURKSOY and the Turkic Academy pay special attention to conducting archaeological research in the Turkestan region. In addition, it will be good if we build a common architectural object in Turkestan, symbolizing the friendship and unity of the Turkic peoples, " the President said.

The Head of State believes that in order to improve the status and strengthen the institutional structure of the Council, its transformation into a full – fledged organization is a requirement of time. The President proposed to introduce and approve this initiative in the Turkestan Declaration, which will be adopted at the end of today's summit.

– It is obvious to everyone that the importance of the Turkic world in modern international politics has increased. There is every reason to believe that cooperation within the framework of the Turkic Council has great prospects. We must express our position on regional and global issues. And our voice must be strong and clear," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

As a result of the informal summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States, the Turkestan Declaration was adopted.