Chairman of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora (SCWD) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Fuad Muradov, the First Deputy Valeh Hajiyev, Ambassador of Turkey to Azerbaijan, H.E. Erkan Özaral, Deputy Chairman of the Presidency of the Turks Abroad and Related Communities of the Republic of Turkey (YTB) Abdulhadi Turus, Head of the Office of Interethnic Consent and Interaction with Diasporas of the Public Consent Committee of the Ministry of Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Meiram Imanbayev, representative of the State Migration Service of the Kyrgyz Republic, Galieva Jarkhinay, relevant experts from Member States, as well as the representatives of the Embassies of the Member States in Baku and of TürkPA, Turkic Culture and Heritage Fund and TİKA office in Baku attended the meeting. The meetings were moderated by Deputy Secretary General of the Turkic Council, Dr. Ömer Kocaman.
Deputy Secretary General Dr. Ömer Kocaman emphasized how important the meetings are in respect of the exchange of experience among the Diaspora institutions of the Member States, and of the further development of mutual cooperation and the implementation of the decisions of the Third Meeting of Ministers/Heads of Institutions in Charge of Diaspora Affairs of the Turkic Council held on 8 November 2018 in Ankara.
Chairman of the SCWD, H.E. Fuad Muradov, talked about the idea of convergence of the Turkic-speaking countries, underlining the historical roles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Heydar Aliyev. He expressed his confidence that this meeting will contribute to further strengthening cooperation among the Turkic-speaking Diasporas. The Chairman of the Committee also emphasized the importance of joint actions and reminded the participants the upcoming anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. He emphasized that every year victims of Khojaly are remembered all over the world, especially in Turkic-speaking countries and stressed the importance of organizing such events jointly.
The representatives of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of Azerbaijan and Presidency of the Turks Abroad and Related Communities of Turkey (YTB) made presentations about the legal bases of their institutions, their institutional structures, their activities within their respective countries and abroad to bring together their diasporas and shared their experiences with Kazakh and Kyrgyz counterparts. Parties discussed their institutional experiences in detail in the questions and answers part and agreed to trade some info and documents about their institutional set up.
During the Contact Group meeting, the delegations discussed the preparation for the Capacity Building Training for the Turkic –speaking diasporas in Germany and USA, joint celebration of Nawruz, the 4th meeting of the Ministers/Heads of Institutions in charge of Diaspora Issues of the Turkic Council, participation of the diaspora youth to the 4th Turkic Council International Youth Camp that will take place in Zerendy, Kazakhstan, as well as other issues of mutual interest.
Based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the State Committee on Work with Diaspora of Azerbaijan and YTB of Turkey on the margins of the Diaspora Ministerial meeting convened in Ankara on 8 November, Sides held their first joint Working Group meeting to work on the modalities to enhance their cooperation and coordination on the second day of the program.
Project Directors Ali Çiviler and Ceyhun Shahverdiyev were also present at the meeting.
