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Ulviyya Poladova

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The third meeting of the Association of Research Institutes and Archaeology Centers of the Turkic World (ARICA) has been held in Bugac, Hungary, focusing on advancing cooperation in archaeology and cultural heritage preservation and developing joint international projects, AzerNEWS reports.

According to the Turkic Academy, the meeting brought together Turkic Academy President Academician Shahin Mustafayev, President of Hungary’s Turan Foundation András Bíró, heads and representatives of archaeological institutions from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, representatives of the Turkish Historical Society, as well as officials and experts from the Hungarian National Museum.

Opening the meeting, Mustafayev said that over the three years since ARICA was established, the association had progressed from building the foundations of cooperation to creating an active international scientific network.

ARICA was established in Samarkand in 2023 on the initiative of the Turkic Academy. Its first official meeting was held in Shusha in 2024, while the second took place in Ankara and Gaziantep in 2025. During this period, participants identified key areas of cooperation and launched joint scientific initiatives and publication projects.

A major focus of the third meeting was the development of practical mechanisms for joint activities. Participants discussed establishing an ARICA International Program for the joint study of the archaeological heritage of Turkic countries. The program would enable specialists from different countries to identify priority archaeological sites annually and conduct joint field research, excavations, documentation and scientific analysis.

Potential areas of research include cities along the Great Silk Road, early Turkic-era monuments, ancient irrigation systems, the archaeological heritage of Eurasian nomadic cultures, and medieval production centers.

Participants also discussed establishing an ARICA Digital Information Portal and electronic research database to facilitate the continuous exchange of scientific information among archaeological institutions, researchers and research centers across the Turkic world.

The proposed platform could consolidate information on joint expeditions, publications, conferences, grants, educational programs, researchers and specialized institutions.