Turkic states create joint armed forces
By Nigar Orujova
Joint armed forces of Turkic-speaking countries involving Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia have been created, Azerbaijani law enforcement bodies told Trend news agency on Tuesday.
According to the information, the joint armed forces were called TAKM, based on the capital letters of the participating countries' names.
A symbol of the Armed Forces, which depicts a horse, was presented to Turkish Gendarmerie Commander, General Bekir Kalyoncu by Azerbaijani Internal Troops Commander Zakir Hasanov.
The founding conference of the Eurasia Military Law Enforcement Bodies Association was held in Baku last Friday. Representatives from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan attended the conference, while those of Mongolian relevant bodies could not arrive in the Azerbaijani capital due to weather conditions. Kazakhstan refused to participate in the association a few days before the event.
A protocol on establishing the Eurasian association was signed in Ankara in 2011.
Turkic countries' coop
A number of issues pertaining to Turkic-speaking countries, including those related to the diaspora, education and economics, were discussed last week.
A coordination group to develop a general strategy of diaspora organizations of the Turkic-speaking countries was suggested during the meeting of top officials in charge of diaspora issues of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS) in Baku last Thursday.
The CCTS was founded by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey in 2009 as an international intergovernmental organization, with the overarching aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic countries.
The CCTS objectives include further deepening of comprehensive cooperation among Turkic speaking states as well as making joint contributions to peace and stability worldwide. Expanding interaction in science, technology, education and culture is one of the CCTS' main goals.
Drafting of a document on establishing a free trade zone of Turkic-speaking countries has also started.
The issue of eliminating customs duties and creating tax-free zones between the organization's member states will be discussed at the second meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TurkPA) committee on economic, trade and financial issues, which is to be held in Kyrgyzstan in March, TurkPA Secretary General Ramil Hasanov said on Monday.
TurkPA, which includes Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, was founded in Baku in 2009. The secretariat of the organization, based in the city, comprises the secretary general, his deputies from Turkey and Kazakhstan and a group of experts.
The organization's purpose is to strengthen relations between Turkic-speaking countries and to bring legislation into compliance with international standards.