President I. Aliyev welcomed the delegation of the Turkic Cooperation Organizations and expressed gratitude for their visit to the liberated Aghdam and Fuzuli regions of Azerbaijan.
His Excellency noted that the delegation witnessed the destruction that the occupying forces have committed in Azerbaijani cities. He stressed that the once flourishing cities of Karabakh - Aghdam, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Jabrail and Gubadli, where tens of thousands people have lived, are completely demolished. Therefore, he stressed, it is not a coincidence that foreign journalists refer to Aghdam as the “Caucasian Hiroshima”.
President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the policy of illegal settlement that has been long in place in the occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh is in fact a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime; and this has been completely ignored not only by international legal norms, but also the norms of morality.
President highlighted that the Turkic Council is the most vigorous international organization advocating for the cause of Azerbaijan and expressed gratitude to the Secretary General of the Turkic Council for his continuous support to Azerbaijan during and after the war.
He stated that the reiterative statements of B. Amreyev at the very beginning and during the war in support of the territorial integrity and the sovereignty, the inviolability of borders of Azerbaijan, and on the resolution of the conflict on the basis of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan as well as his congratulatory messages addressed to the people of Azerbaijan for the victory will be remembered with great appreciation.
The Head of State pointed out that Azerbaijan anticipates active cooperation with the fraternal Turkic-speaking countries during the restoration of the liberated territories and other states that did not spare their support to Azerbaijan.
He noted that the due attention will be given to the Turkic Council and the Turkic Cooperation Organizations during the restoration of historical and cultural monuments.
President noted the future plans and projects on the reconstruction of infrastructure and the restoration of cultural and historical sights of Shusha.
Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev expressed his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for receiving the delegation and on behalf of the Turkic world offered once again the most sincere congratulations for the great victory of Azerbaijan in its just war for the liberation of its occupied territories and for the restoration of territorial integrity and sovereignty. He added that this was a momentous victory for the whole Turkic world.
Talking about his recent visit to the liberated territories together with the Heads of the Turkic Cooperation Organizations, Secretary General stated that the delegation witnessed first-hand the completely destroyed cities and villages, as well as the demolished cultural and historical heritage of Azerbaijan.
B. Amreyev underlined that these lands have always been in the memory of their true owners and they have finally returned these lands back. He expressed confidence that Fuzuli and Aghdam along with other liberated territories would be restored in a very short period.
Secretary General also stressed that at the special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Turkic Council held on 2 November in Baku, the Heads of the Chambers of the Turkic States conveyed the willingness of business communities to take part in the restoration projects to be implemented in the freed lands.
B.Amreyev reiterated the readiness of the Turkic Council and TURKSOY to actively participate in the restoration of cultural monuments and to carry out relevant consultations with the member countries in this regard.
Referring to the established practice of annually declaring one city as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World, Secretary General proposed the President to declare Shusha city as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World in 2022.
Briefing the President about the current agenda of the Turkic Council, Secretary General underscored that Secretariat completed the initial draft of the “Turkic Vision 2040” and “Turkic Strategy for 2020-2025”, as instructed according to the instructions of the Heads of the States during the Baku Summit in 2019 that will be proposed to approval during the upcoming Summit of the Organization.
B.Amreyev also informed the President about the preparations for the upcoming informal Summit in Turkestan, which was proposed by the first President of Kazakhstan - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev to organize at the end of March this year, as well as for the next Summit of the Turkic Council, which is planned to take place in Istanbul this fall.
He underlined the importance of the opening ceremony of the new premises of the Turkic Council Secretariat that is anticipated to be organized with the valuable participation of the Heads of States in the framework of the 8th Summit in Turkey.
Secretary General hoped that these summits would become another turning point for the integration and unity in the Turkic world.
Secretary General of TURKSOY Mr. Dusein Kaseinov and President of Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Mrs. Gunay Afandiyeva also gave the President of Azerbaijan an account of their activities and shared their views on the active involvement of the Turkic Cooperation Organizations in the restoration process of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, particularly in terms of reconstruction of cultural and historical sights and preparation of international cultural events.
