On Monday, 11 March 2024, a meeting was held in Ashgabat within the framework of the 15th meeting of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States, chaired by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslahaty Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
The agenda of the upcoming 15th meeting includes topical issues related to the activities of the Council of Elders and the OTS, further joint work, coordination of actions of the participating countries of the Organization, as well as the implementation of recommendations adopted at the meeting held last year in Samarkand.
“Our meeting coincided with the first day of the holy month of Oraz, which is especially revered by Muslims around the world and considered the most blessed. This is a time of celebration in people’s lives of high spiritual values – humanism, charity, kindness and moral purity. All this is of great importance for the harmonious development of modern society, strengthening solidarity between peoples, and educating a decent generation,” Arkadag Berdimuhamedov said opening the meeting.
During his speech, Arkadag Berdimuhamedov thanked Chairman of the Council of Elders Binali Yildirim, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev and all members of the Council for their constant support, effective work in preparation for the next meeting and coordinated activities.
Arkadag noted that Turkmenistan has great respect for OTS and its structural units and is interested in joint cooperation.
The commonality of historical roots, culture, language and religion stretching back thousands of years binds our peoples, which in turn serves as an unshakable foundation for building and deepening political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations.
The National Leader of the Turkmen people recalled that on 12 November 2021, within the framework of the Summit held in Istanbul, with the support of all member countries of the OTS, Turkmenistan received the status of an observer country of the Organization of Turkic States. Turkmenistan is currently exploring the possibility of becoming a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries (TURKPA) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Turkic countries.
The 15th meeting of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States is taking place in Ashgabat, Arkadag said, noting that holding such a representative event in our country, on the one hand, is an indicator of Turkmenistan’s commitment to close cooperation with the Turkic states, and on the other hand, it is a sign of great trust and great responsibility.
Then the floor was given to the Chairman of the Council of Elders Binali Yildirim.
Yildirim noted that for the first time, the meeting of this advisory body of the OTS is being held in a country that has observer status.
Close cooperation between full-fledged member states and observer countries in the Organization, their active participation in the activities of the OTS is one of the distinctive features of the Organization of Turkic States and at the same time an indicator of their significant contribution to the work of our structure, he said.
He stressed the increasing role of OTS in the light of global development trends and in addressing pressing issues in the OTS space. In this context, the emphasis was placed on the huge potential for expanding cooperation in such areas as politics, economics, transport, tourism, youth policy, sports, information and communication technologies.
Then the Secretary General of OTS Kubanychbek Omuraliev addressed the audience.
He drew attention to the effective nature of OTS’s cooperation with reputable organizations, primarily with the UN and its divisions, as well as with the EU, OSCE, OIC, ASEAN, ECO. At the same time, the need to continue the partnership for the prosperity of the countries of the world was emphasized.
The guest also stressed the importance of the events planned for this year on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet Magtymguly Fragi. As noted, this decision, reflected in the final document of TURKSOY, testifies to the success of Turkmenistan’s policy in the field of culture.
Then representatives of the Council of Elders from the member States of the OTS spoke.
Ikram Adyrbekov, a member of the Council of Elders from the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted that the main purpose of the curreny meeting is to further strengthen cooperation between the partner states of the OTS, to enrich it with a new quality and content corresponding to both mutual aspiration and objective opportunities available to the Turkic countries.
The representative of Kazakhstan also noted that the dialogue with Turkmenistan at the present stage is experiencing a genuine upsurge and is being filled with qualitatively new content.
Member of the Council of Elders from the Kyrgyz Republic Metedkan Sherimkulov, highlighting the importance of the current meeting, noted that its results aim to enhance strengthening cooperation between the member countries of the OTS in the economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. It was emphasized that the proclamation by TURKSOY 2024 as the “Year of the great Poet and Thinker of the Turkic World – Magtymguly Fragi” and the announcement of the city of Anau as the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2024 serve as a vivid example of the inviolability of the bonds of friendship and brotherhood between Turkmenistan and the participating countries of the Organization.
Sodikjon Turdiyev, a member of the Council of Elders from Uzbekistan, noted the increasing role of the Turkic states in the international arena. He commended the expanding multilateral and mutually beneficial relations, growing trade and the pace of cooperation between the Member states and observers of the Organization. In this regard, they expressed confidence that the specific proposals that will be announced during the 15th meeting will contribute to strengthening the role of the Organization of Turkic States on a global scale.
Attila Tilki, a member of the Council of Elders from Hungary, noted that this year is marked by the celebration at the international level of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great Turkmen poet Magtymguly Fragi, which is a tribute to the high respect and veneration of the outstanding humanist poet, a classic of Turkmen and world literature, who glorified the ideals of peace, friendship and kindness in his works.
Then Arkadag Berdimuhamedov announced a number of initiatives designed to further improve cooperation in the OTS space. They include:
- The establishment of the title of “Honorary Elder” of the Organization of Turkic States and the badge, taking into account the merits of the older generation in strengthening the bonds of friendship and brotherhood, unity and cohesion.
- Creation of an editorial office, in particular, for the publication of a newspaper or magazine in the future, development of the website of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States.
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At the end of the meeting, Arkadag Berdimuhamedov met with the Mufti of Turkmenistan, imams of Ashgabat and Akhal province.
Then sadaka was given for the heads of delegations and guests who arrived in Ashgabat to participate in the next meeting of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States.
Taking the opportunity, Arkadag thanked everyone for participating in the “agzaçar” sadaka and stressed that at the upcoming meeting of the Council will discuss the issues of strengthening cooperation between the Turkic. The participants will exchange views on the prospects for further development of productive relations. ///nCa, 12 March 2024 (based on the TDH report)