Over the past 27 years of independence, then-newly-established Turkic States have come a long way in their processes of nation building and state formation. Given this outlook and taking into consideration that the Turkic world succeeded to cultivate an almost three-decade long partnership, which continues to flourish with more institutional elements in the last ten years, it could not be timelier to pen this noteworthy article allowing for a fresh take and raising awareness on our common history and cultural heritage that have greatly influenced modern life and gave rise to important technological innovations.
In the article, President Nazarbayev does not only announce the great work ahead that Kazakhstan will undertake for the study of the great steppe civilization with all its facets and components but also calls on the international community of historians, academics and artists to take part in forthcoming endeavors for the modernization of the historical consciousness. Being constructed on four main pillars as common history, common language, common identity and common culture, the Turkic Council is ready to have its fair share of contributions to the projects proposed by the President Nazarbayev with its full capacity and resources.
Indeed, President Nazarbayev, rightfully considered as “Leader of the Turkic World” widely respected statesman and strategist, has played a significant role for the unity of the Turkic world by leading the institutionalization of Turkic cooperation in various fields. His approach to the Turkic integration differs from the rest by its emphasis on rationality and realism as well as its firm basis on mutual benefit and balanced strategy. Therefore, his call for reviewing our common understanding of history with a fresh angle of vision, strengthening the memory of our great ancestors, promoting the study and perpetuation of their heritage and harmonizing the richness of the Turkic civilization with the current trends and expectations with a view to transmit the historical and cultural heritage to younger generations, shall be utilized in all seriousness.
As the cradle of the cooperation mechanisms in the Turkic world, Turkic Council has undertaken since its establishment, the wide scope of activities and achieved considerable progress in all fields of cooperation which directly contributed to the socio-economic and cultural development of the Member States. These works also yielded tangible results by shedding light on its true potential to deepen and widen the existing cooperation. In this regard, some of the key achievements of Turkic Council related to commonalities of Turkic world are worth mentioning.
I believe that the cooperation in the Turkic world in the field of education, tourism and youth and sports is particularly vital for future generations to have a more comprehensive understanding of their common history and better appreciate the richness of their heritage.
In this connection, Turkic Council has successfully initiated an important project allowing our younger generations to learn at first hand our common history based on a textbook prepared by the leading historians of our Member States. Upon the tasks entrusted by the Heads of States, Turkic Council, in cooperation with Turkic Academy, has finalized the textbook of common Turkic history covering the period until the 15th century that will be added to the national curricula of the Member States next year.
As mentioned in his article by President Nazarbayev, the national history begins where the horizons of space and time merge. Being aware of the fact that the history cannot be taught without having full grasp of geography and human component, Turkic Council initiated the preparation of the textbooks on common Turkic geography and literature followed this initial project. Therefore, Turkic Academy is in the process of laying the groundwork for the textbooks.
Located at a unique geography, the very center of the crossroads between East and West, Turkic Council Member States initiated the Modern Silk Road Joint Tour Project providing visitors across the world with a unique opportunity to meet the remnants, traces and legacy of the Turkic civilization lying along with the Great Silk Road in the heart Eurasia symbolizing the epicenter of global interchange of goods and intellectual cooperation among nations.
Having sizable young population, Turkic Council pays a particular attention to the younger generation and youth activities with the aim of contributing to their personal development, promoting socialization among the youth sharing the same history, culture and language, as well as creating a future generation with increased sense of pride of their common past and promise of their common future. In this regard, Turkic Council organizes youth festivals and camps and provides various platforms for youth dialogue in the Member States.
As President Nazarbayev highlighted the influence of our nomadic roots on the genesis of various aspects of modern life, Turkic Council came to the world stage with an important initiative called “the World Nomad Games” established with a vision to revive the spiritual consciousness and historical memory of the Turkic peoples, preserve the culture of our ancestors and promote our proud nomadic civilization. Having drawn a widespread attraction throughout the world, I am confident that the World Nomad Games will maintain its popularity and prominent role to keep the legacy of our ancestors alive.
As political podium for dialogue and cooperation of the Turkic world, Turkic Council is a unique platform where new ideas and initiatives flourish and are implemented at the highest level possible. Shedding light with their vision and wisdom to the work of the Turkic cooperation organizations, one cannot stress enough the pioneering role of our Heads of States for keeping the collective spirit alive in the Turkic world. It is safe to say that their views, ideas and initiatives that they raise often open new paths for strengthening further collaboration among the Turkic peoples.
In this respect, the understanding of the “Seven Facets of the Great Steppe”, fundamental to Kazakhstan’s prospective outlook for the world and to the future vision of the Turkic world, will require great efforts to maintain and uphold. Therefore, President Nazarbayev has proposed a number of projects to aid these efforts, namely “Archive 2025”, “The Great Names of the Great Steppe”, ‘Turkic Civilization: from the beginnings to the present”, “The Museum of Ancient Art and Technology of the Great Steppe”, “Digital Anthology of Steppe Folklore” and “History in Film and Television”. Being in constant support of its Member States, Turkic Council will undoubtedly display solid cooperation with the authorities of Kazakhstan on their new vision of the national history.
We should keep in mind that such cooperation will make a considerable difference and contribute significantly to our collective identity and togetherness which in return will pave the way for the collective action to respond to the existing and emerging challenges to be faced by our States and peoples in the future.
Only the joint efforts and unity of the Turkic States can give impetus to the development and integration of the Turkic world. Revival of the Turkic world requires further enhancement of joint activities of all Turkic-speaking states and bringing the cooperation with each other to the same tendency. In this perspective, the Turkic Council will spare no effort to generate more initiatives and projects for further promotion and development of the Turkic States in close collaboration with its Member States.
