Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

A summit declaration and a declaration on extending the powers of the secretary of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States were signed upon the results of the third CCTS summit in the Azerbaijani city of Gabala on August 16.

The summit was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In a joint declaration, the signatories reiterated the importance they attach to a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is one of the main obstacles to lasting stability and regional cooperation, on the basis of the territorial integrity and inviolability of Azerbaijan's borders.

The parties emphasized the aim of strengthening the political and economic security of the countries involved in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, and non-interference in internal affairs.

Kyrgyzstan passed on the CCTS chairmanship to Azerbaijan at the summit.

In his remarks the Kyrgyz leader said the Turkic speaking states all over the world are becoming a model of economic development and Azerbaijan is also a model of such development.

Atambayev stressed the importance of implementing joint projects, adding that they would ensure a bright future.

"The unity of Turkic-speaking countries which we are creating will yield very good results in the future. We want these states to develop, prosper and achieve higher results," Atambayev said.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude to the Kyrgyz President for successful chairmanship in the CCTS last year.

"I think that over the last year our cooperation has deepened even further," President Aliyev said during his speech at the opening of the summit.

"I am confident that our cooperation in the coming years will deepen, expand and rise to a new level," he said.

The President welcomed all the attendees of the summit in the old Azerbaijani city of Gabala.

President Aliyev condemned the ongoing Armenian occupation of his country's territories.

"Unfortunately, Azerbaijan, for a long time, has been suffering from Armenian occupation. Twenty percent of Azerbaijani lands are under occupation, and the country's territorial integrity, recognized by the international community, is being violated," the President said. He emphasized that ethnic cleansing was carried out against the Azerbaijani people and all norms of international law were grossly violated.

"A swift and fair settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of international law will put an end to this injustice and contribute to regional security," President Aliyev said.

According to him, the conflict must be settled within the framework of international law and Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and the Joint Declaration of the CCTS reflects these very principles.

President Aliyev expressed gratitude to his counterparts in this regard.

The President said the soonest establishment of the fund for support of Turkic culture and Turkic heritage preservation will become a very important development.

The head of state noted that the 21st century should become the century of the Turkic world.

"Our countries have the potential, joint activities and such an important form of partnership as the Cooperation Council. We need to strengthen all the positive trends. I believe that today's summit serves these goals and will have a successful outcome," he said.

The President said the Cooperation Council member countries are developing successfully and confidently.

He noted that the cultures of the Turkic-speaking countries are closely inter-related.

"We share common roots and common holidays and our languages are similar to each other," President Aliyev said. "Thus, the humanitarian sphere forms the basis of our cooperation. Otherwise, the cooperation would be less likely to develop at this level. Therefore, it is necessary to pay great attention to the work done in the humanitarian sphere. I particularly want to emphasize the activity of TURKSOY, which is very active in Turkic-speaking countries and thus serves the unification of the Turkic world."

"There are new opportunities to deepen cooperation in the economic sphere," President Aliyev said making a final speech at the summit.

According to the President, Azerbaijan is implementing investment projects both on its soil and abroad.

"We are united by energy and transport corridors, which is great wealth. The CCTS member states have considerable natural resources and vast geography. All of these efforts ensure the development of each country. Certainly, it is necessary to continue pursuing the energy diplomacy and coordination of efforts in this direction, and I believe we will continue to work in this direction in the future," President Aliyev said.

The President proposed to hold a joint exhibition on the tourism potential and the tourist centers of the Turkic world.

"This exhibition can be held either in our countries or in other states. Along with this, the Turkic world can make a single presentation at prestigious international exhibitions, since our countries have excellent opportunities for tourism. The tourism potential uniting our countries is strengthening as the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea, and Lake Issyk-Kul are very popular tourist destinations," the President said.

He also noted that proposals related to the development of new information and communication technologies were voiced at the summit.

Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev, Almazbek Atambayev and Abdullah Gul, as well as deputy chairman of Turkmenistan`s Cabinet of Ministers Sapardurdu Toyliyev and CCTS Secretary General Halil Akinci made speeches at the summit.

President Nazarbayev said the CCTS is becoming a well-known organization and creates an opportunity for economic and transport cooperation.

The Kazakh President called for expanding the mutually beneficial economic cooperation among the Turkic peoples.

"Currently, the total gross domestic product of the six independent Turkic states amounts to $1.15 trillion. Despite this, the trade turnover among the countries does not meet our potential. For example, the volume of Kazakhstan's trade turnover with the Turkic states made up only $8 billion in 2012. It is only 6 per cent of our total turnover," Nazarbayev said.

Nazarbayev also noted the need to develop transport links between the states of the Turkic Council, which will be the basis for the development of economic relations.

According to Turkish President Abdullah Gul, joint transport and energy projects will transform the region of the Turkic countries into the centre of the world economy.

"The Turkic-speaking countries need to restore the historic Silk Road, which has both political and economic significance for the world. The modern concept of the Silk Road comprises collaborative energy, transport and logistics projects that will aid the development of the entire region. All of these projects will transform the Turkic world into the centre of the world economy and development," the Turkish President said.

According to President Gul, the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is a strategically important project.

"The project will change the dynamics of the region," Gul said. "Currently work is successfully ongoing. This project will bring together Turkic states through the railway and contribute to the development of the economy and trade among these countries. We are doing our best to complete the construction of the railway as soon as possible. The organization of a ferry service between the ports of Baku and Aktau and Turkmenbashi is considered as continuation of this project. It is very important to realize this project in the near future."

He added that with the launch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in 2014 and the start of operation of the Marmaray rail tunnel in Istanbul, a direct rail link between West Asia and Europe will be established.

"These projects will give a strong boost to the economy and well-being of the residents of these states. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are also taking interest in the project and this would mean all the Turkic speaking states will be connected by a single railway project," Gul said.

In addition the countries are considering issues of cooperation in the field of road infrastructure, Gul said.

"It is necessary to facilitate the procedures for using the main road among the states as well as standardize and modernize the checkpoints between the countries. If the checkpoints are not upgraded there will be problems with regard to the transportation of passengers and goods in the framework of railway projects.

"Moreover, it is necessary to expand the capacity at the ports on the Caspian Sea. In this area, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are developing relevant projects. The organization of ro-ro trips is also being prioritized," the Turkish President said.

Only by joining efforts and helping each other Turkic-speaking states will manage to solve the outstanding problems in the Turkic world, President Gul said.

"The Turkic speaking states have always supported and enjoyed each other's successes. Together, Turkic-speaking states will be able to solve the existing problems in the Turkic world," the Turkish President said.

He expressed confidence that the countries will continue to implement projects aimed at strengthening cooperation, since this is an important step in the development of the Asian region.

"Turkic countries support each other on the world stage. Today, we must further strengthen support and work together. This is what the purpose of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States is about," he said.

According to Gul, the Turkic world plays an important role in world affairs and therefore the countries should coordinate their efforts for the development of the Turkic world.

According to Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister Sapardurdu Toyliyev, one of the factors of construction, research and promoting the cultural heritage of Turkic-speaking countries is the humanitarian ties.

He expressed confidence that the future of the scientific and technical development of these Turkic-speaking countries and identification of promising innovative scientific and technological areas will contribute to further growth and improvement of multilateral relations.

"Our civilization, which has retained its original strength in the context of globalization and modern challenges, is advancing. It educates the young generation in the spirit of humanitarian values," Toyliyev said.

Issues of cooperation in the transport sector and simplification of customs procedures were high on the agenda of the Gabala summit.

The discussions also focused on further development of cooperation among the CCTS member countries.

A meeting of the foreign ministers of the Turkic states was held on August 15.

The summit's agenda and cooperation prospects within the organization were discussed during the meeting.

The Turkic Council (CCTS) is an international organization established by the Nakhchivan Agreement signed among Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey in 2009 with a purpose to make a joint contribution to peace and stability in Eurasia. The organization's secretariat is based in Istanbul.

Since its establishment, the Turkic Council has taken specific steps to promote cooperation in the Turkic world. For the first time in history, different ministers responsible for different spheres of cooperation came together within the framework of the Turkic Council.