On June 15, an international conference titled “Organization of Turkic States: Towards New Strategic Goals in the Axis of Geopolitical Realities and Global Turbulence” was successfully held in the city of Shusha, Azerbaijan, on the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of the Shusha Declaration, which elevated bilateral relations with Turkey to the level of alliance.

The conference, organized by the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), was attended by ruling party leaders, representatives, and experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Hungary, and TRNC, in addition to Azerbaijan and Turkey.

At the event that began with the playing of the Azerbaijani National Anthem, Tahir Budagov, Deputy Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) and Head of the Party Central Executive Committee, read the letter of President Ilham Aliyev addressed to conference participants.

The conference, held to establish a “Roadmap” for deepening cooperation among Turkic World States and strengthening OTS to become an important structure ensuring peace, security, and prosperity in the region, took place in 3 sessions titled “Organization of Turkic States: Regional Contribution to Global Security,” “Unity of Modernity with Common Values: Party Diplomacy as a New Dialogue Platform,” and “Turkic World – 2040: Conceptual Vision for the Future.”

The conference was attended by Aydin Kerimov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the Shusha region, Tahir Budagov, YAP Deputy Chairman and Head of the Party Central Executive Committee, Samed Seyidov, YAP Audit Commission member and Chairman of the Azerbaijani National Assembly Committee on International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations, former OTS Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev, AK Party Vice Chairman and Head of Foreign Relations Zafer Sırakaya, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Bursa MP Efkan Ala, and representatives from ruling parties of member and observer states.

Tahir Budagov emphasized that the activities of OTS in line with the idea of “Turkic Unity” serve to strengthen partnerships among countries, accelerate regional integration, increase the national power of states and strengthen their positions in the modern international relations system, and underlined the importance of expanding relations and deepening cooperation among ruling political parties in the Turkic world.

Efkan Ala, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Bursa MP, stated that they see Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, peace, and security as the key to regional tranquility. He said that as Turkey, they fought together against the unjust and unlawful occupation of Azerbaijani territories, and that the Shusha Declaration serves as a guide and directive given to all of us by our presidents to further develop bilateral and international relations.

Zafer Sırakaya, AK Party Vice Chairman and Head of Foreign Relations, stated that solid steps need to be taken to strengthen unity in the Turkic world, that the process that began as the “Summit of Heads of Turkic-Speaking States” has today resulted in a fully-fledged organization, and that OTS has become a force closely watched internationally and sought for cooperation by third countries, emphasizing the great impact of leaders having a vision of a strong Turkic world in unity and solidarity.

The Turkey-Azerbaijan Business People Association (TAİB), the only NGO invited to the conference attended by leaders and representatives of ruling parties of OTS member and observer states, was represented by Board Chairman and businessman Elshan Guliyev. Aiming to expand its sphere of influence beyond Azerbaijan and Turkey to the entire Turkic World, TAİB participated in discussions on enhancing economic, commercial, and investment cooperation among OTS member states during the conference.