Azernews.Az

On November 4, 2025, on the platform of the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand (Republic of Uzbekistan), a high-level presentation of unique projects reflecting the depth and richness of Turkic civilization was organized by the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.

The event featured the presentation of the multilingual Catalogue of the Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World “The Cultural Code of the Turkic World”, prepared in accordance with the strategic documents “Turkic World Vision – 2040” and “TURKTIME”, as well as the multivolume multilingual Anthology “Heritage of Turkic Folklore”, implemented upon the initiative of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and supported by the Heads of State of the Turkic countries.

Following the presentation, an event was held to mark the proclamation of 15 December as the “World Turkic Language Family Day”, adopted by the resolution of the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference on November 3, 2025.

During the presentation, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Aktoty Raimkulova, expressed deep gratitude to UNESCO and the Republic of Uzbekistan for their hospitality and the support provided in the organization of the event. In her speech, Raimkulova congratulated the scholars, experts, and members of the Advisory Committee who contributed to the realization of these projects, emphasizing that these editions have become a spiritual bridge uniting the Turkic World.

Among the speakers were Rustam Muzaffarov, project curator of the Catalogue “The Cultural Code of the Turkic World”, and Joppor Eshonkulov, a renowned scholar from Uzbekistan and contributor to the Anthology “Heritage of Turkic Folklore”. They underlined the importance of these publications and highly appreciated the contribution of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the Turkic World.

Among the honorary guests were Arslan Koichiev, Advisor to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic; Prof. Dr. Kürşad Zorlu, Deputy Chairman Justice and Development Party of the Republic of Türkiye; and Prof. Dr. Bakhrom Abdukhalimov, Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The guests emphasized the historical significance of this decision in recognizing the richness and shared spiritual roots of Turkic languages and highly valued the contribution and efforts of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation in organizing the event.

Speeches were delivered by the Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, Ambassador Mr. Elman Abdullayev; Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Talgat Yeshenkulov; Ambassador of Turkmenistan to the French Republic and Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Maksat Chariyev; and Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary to UNESCO, Kinga Simon. Active participation was also shown by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Askar Abdrakhmanov; Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the French Republic and Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Sadyk Sher-Niyaz; Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to UNESCO, Gülnur Aybet; and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uzbekistan to UNESCO. Kamol Mukhtarov, and the Chairman of the National Commission to UNESCO of the Republic of Türkiye, Professor Öcal Oğuz.

Representatives of the Permanent Delegations of Belgium, Ecuador, France, Latvia, Oman, Qatar, Venezuela, and the Czech Republic to UNESCO, as well as accredited representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Uzbekistan, representatives of international organizations, scholars, cultural institutions, foreign guests interested in Turkic culture and heritage, and media representatives participated in the event.

The evening was continued by the performances of the TURAN ethno-folklore ensemble, Ambassadors of Turkic culture and heritage. Their performance of outstanding samples of Turkic musical art became one of the most remarkable highlights of the ceremony, receiving warm applause from the audience.