Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the Third Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States

- Thank you, dear Almazbek Sharshenovich!

I express my gratitude to you for the transfer of Presidency in the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States for the next year to the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Distinguished heads of state, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends! I sincerely welcome all of you to Azerbaijan.

First of all, I want to express my gratitude to the Kyrgyz Republic and President Atambayev personally for the successful Presidency in the Cooperation Council over the past year. I think that over the past year our collaboration has become even deeper. The successful leadership of Kyrgyzstan has given a powerful impetus to the activities of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States. I am confident that our cooperation will further deepen, expand and rise to a new level in the coming years. I warmly welcome all our guests to the ancient Azerbaijani city of Gabala.

I remember the last time the summit was held in another ancient Azerbaijani city - Nakhchivan. The holding of these summits in different cities is a kind of exploratory nature, while at the same time further strengthening the solidarity between our countries and peoples. Turkic peace in the world increases, the Turkic world covers a large geography. Of course, our people have yet to get to know each other, cooperation should be carried out more intensively.

I remember that the previous summit in Azerbaijan was held in another ancient Azerbaijani city – Nakhchivan. The fact that these summits are held in different cities has a somewhat familiarization function. But at the same time, it further strengthens the solidarity between our countries and peoples. The Turkic world is strengthening on the planet. The Turkic world covers a large geographical space. Of course, our peoples should get to know each other even better and our cooperation should be carried out more broadly.

I am very proud to say that when the summit was held in Nakhchivan, a new format of cooperation among Turkic-speaking states was established. The organization of such a format within the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States opened up a new stage of our cooperation. The third summit is now being held. I am confident that these summits will be held regularly in the future.

Our peoples are linked by a common history, culture and values. For centuries, our peoples have maintained a close relationship with each other, lived and worked together, and always supported each other. And today, as independent states, we are and should be together on all issues. I believe that the main objective of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States is to further strengthen the unity between our countries and peoples.

We are successfully carrying out activities in the bilateral format. In the economic sphere we are engaged in effective cooperation. Our countries always support each other in the international arena and within international organizations, which is natural. After all, fraternal peoples must always be next to each other. In the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other international organizations we mostly advocate a single position. Of course, this further increases our strength and makes us stronger.

Today we will work in several directions. We will discuss a number of important issues. Of course, the key issue for the successful development of our countries is that of regional security.

Our countries are contributing to regional security. This is a very important matter. Our peoples live in peace, tranquility and stability. We have to make sure that our region always remains a region of peace and tranquility. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan has been suffering from the Armenian occupation for many years. Twenty percent of Azerbaijani lands are under occupation. Our internationally recognized territorial integrity has been violated. Our people have been exposed to a policy of ethnic cleansing. All norms of international law have been flagrantly violated.

The soonest and just settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of international law will put an end to this injustice and, at the same time, will contribute to regional security. This conflict must be resolved on the basis of international law and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The joint declaration to be adopted today reflects these principles, for which I wish to express my gratitude to my colleagues.

Yesterday we attended a wonderful concert, which reflected a part of our culture. In essence, it was a concert of friendship and unity of Turkic culture. Our cultures are closely related to each other. We have common roots and holidays. Our languages are similar to each other. The humanitarian sphere forms the basis of our cooperation. In other words, if this were not the case, then perhaps our cooperation would not be developed to the same extent. Therefore, we should pay a lot of attention to the work in the humanitarian field, of course. I want to emphasize the activities of TURKSOY. TURKSOY is actively working not only in Turkic-speaking countries, but also in all Turkic lands, thus contributing to the unity of the Turkic world. I am very pleased that the initiative put forward by Azerbaijan is already being implemented. The soonest establishment of the Foundation for the Support of Turkic culture and preservation of the Turkic heritage would be a very important development.

At the same time, the potential of our countries in the economic sphere is growing by the year. Our countries are working closely with each other. Various economic projects are being implemented. I can say that Azerbaijan, for its part, is making effort for the successful development of economic and infrastructure projects. The implementation of ambitious infrastructure projects in the region started from Azerbaijan. The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline paved the way for the opening of international energy and transport corridors. For the first time in history, the Caspian Sea was connected to the Mediterranean. This historic event was a great achievement in itself. But at the same time it has led to the realization of other important projects. The activities in the transport and energy sectors cannot be separated from each other today. The revitalization of the Great Silk Road is already a reality. We are enriching this Silk Road and improving it with new infrastructure projects.

The cooperation in the oil and gas sector brings our countries closer together. Our countries have natural resources, sophisticated infrastructure and excellent export routes. The consolidation of these efforts, of course, will lead to the strengthening of the Turkic world. Azerbaijan is already playing the role of a transit country for our brothers, for the countries located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. This is also an important issue. So these projects bring our peoples and economies closer together.

Our cooperation in the oil and gas sector is multifaceted. All countries are successfully cooperating with each other. Of course, one of the issues on the agenda today is the improvement of the transport infrastructure. A great deal has been done through joint efforts in this direction – both in the bilateral and trilateral formats. The implementation of various transportation projects, of course, requires a lot of resources. But the economic development of our countries is very rapid. The financial position of our countries is also secure. Therefore, we should definitely allocate funds for the implementation of major transportation projects in the future too. Among them, I want to emphasize the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway connecting Europe with Asia. This railway will link continents. Our countries will become transit states. This railway will serve our peoples for centuries to come. This is a huge geopolitical and geo-economic project, a project of cooperation. I am confident that we will celebrate completion of this project in the near future, next year, thus reviving the historic Silk Road.

There are other projects as well. I am aware that member-countries of the Cooperation Council are implementing major transport projects that are of great importance for every country. Together, these projects are creating a new transport map of the region.

Today, our countries are developing successfully and confidently. Unfortunately, the developments in different parts of the world, including the Muslim world, are going in different directions. There are confrontations, civil wars and other negative phenomena. But in our region, in the Turkic world, there is stability and development. This is a great achievement and a great asset, especially when we consider that the financial and economic crisis is still ongoing in the world. I think that the successful development of our countries, the stability and progress of countries are a great achievement of our people, a great asset of our countries. We should cherish this treasure, cherish and develop it together. The 21stcentury must be a century of the Turkic world. Our countries have strong potential, joint activities and such a very important format of cooperation as the Cooperation Council. We need to strengthen these positive trends. I believe that today's summit serves these ideas. The summit will produce excellent results.

Now I suggest that we adopt the agenda. The agenda is in front of you. If there are no other proposals, the agenda is considered adopted.

I would now like to invite the distinguished heads of state and heads of delegations to make their remarks. The floor is given to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Х Х Х

Closing speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Distinguished guests, the signing ceremony has been completed. The summit is also drawing to a close. I want to express my deep gratitude to our dear brothers, heads of delegations for their participation in this summit in Gabala. I would like to express my confidence that cooperation between us would be further strengthened after this summit and very serious projects will be implemented. I am sure that the valuable thoughts voiced in the speeches today will enrich our work and the implementation of these proposals will enable us to rise to a new level of cooperation. I would like to point out to a few issues related to the proposals and our future activities in general. The cooperation in the economic sphere, as has already been mentioned, has a great future. Today, the economic development of our countries is very rapid. Once again I would like to note that despite the economic and financial crisis, our countries are steadily building up their economies. As for Azerbaijan, over the past 10 years Azerbaijan's economy grew more than three times, and this growth has been very impressive. Our economy is already diversified and competitive. According to the most influential economic structure of the world, the World Economic Forum, the Davos Forum, the economy of Azerbaijan is ranked 46th in the world for competitiveness.

The economic reforms carried out and the rich natural resources serve the development of our country. Therefore, there are new opportunities for the deepening of cooperation in the economic sphere. Azerbaijan is implementing investment projects in the country and abroad. I think that the friendly and fraternal relations existing between our two countries contribute to mutual investment. In any case, Azerbaijan is taking steps in this direction.

We are united through energy and transport corridors. This, too, is a huge asset. Member-countries have major natural resources and a vast geography. All of these efforts are already providing the development of each country. Of course, the continuation of the energy diplomacy and coordination of our efforts in this area are necessary, and we will continue our work in this direction in the coming years.

The speakers today have raised the issue of joint activities in the tourism sector. I think this is a very important area.

Especially in such a center of tourism as Gabala it is very important to exchange views on the steps to be taken in this direction. I suggest holding a joint exhibition on the tourism potential and tourism centers of the Turkic world. This exhibition could be conducted both in our countries and elsewhere. In addition, the Turkic world could make single presentations at prestigious international exhibitions because our countries have great potential for tourism. The tourism potential uniting our countries is getting stronger. The Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Caspian Sea, Lake Issyk-Kul – these are well-known travel destinations worldwide. Nature in our countries is beautiful – there is clean air, mountains, forests and rivers. I believe that a joint presentation will reflect and introduce our unity and at the same time, in practical terms, increase the flow of tourists to our countries.

Proposals have also been made on the development of information and communication technologies. Azerbaijan continues work in this direction. Earlier this year, we launched the first Azerbaijani telecommunications satellite into orbit.

Thus, we have launched the development of a space industry in Azerbaijan. This area, of course, is associated with the humanitarian sphere because information and communication technology boils down to knowledge, education and, innovation. Of course, the development of the humanitarian sphere is very important for any country. An educated and intelligent young generation is growing up in our countries. This will also contribute to the independence of our countries in the future. If we look at the world map, we can see that developed countries have achieved development because of a rapid scientific and technological progress. They have invested in science and education. The ongoing work in this area will strengthen the future development and independence of each country. Therefore, our countries have established significant collaboration in the field of innovation, science and education, and I think that it should be in the spotlight in future years.

Naturally, transportation was one of the issues on the agenda, and we all share the same opinion here. All the speakers have noted the issues related to transportation. By creating a new transport infrastructure, we are uniting the Turkic world also through the transport network. At the same time, we are creating a strong transportation infrastructure for our countries and for the future. Our nations will be using it for centuries. It will bring us additional economic benefits.
In my opening remarks I expressed my views on the work done in Azerbaijan in this direction. I would like to add that the port being constructed by Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea will be the largest seaport in the region. Its capacity will be gradually increased from 10 million to 20 million tons. Of course, the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the port in Baku is carried out in a coordinated manner. Thus, it will lead to an increase in freight traffic across the Caspian Sea.

Today’s statements have also touched upon the tolerance of our peoples. This is also a very important issue. Indeed, all the peoples living in our countries regardless of their ethnicity or religion have all the rights and live like one family. There are never any negative phenomena. This is our greatest asset and we should strive to present the Turkic world internationally also as a space of tolerance. We in Azerbaijan are conducting a variety of activities in this direction. I am aware that such activities are also carried out in other fraternal countries. In particular, I want to note the activities of the Second Baku International Forum on Intercultural Dialogue. We look forward to the active participation of our brothers in future forums because this forum has already secured its place in the world.

Some other valuable ideas about the future of our countries and peoples have been expressed here as well. In particular, I would like to express my attitude to the thoughts about the demographic situation. This is a great asset for us. The demographic situation in our countries is very positive. There is natural growth. In many countries the situation is completely different. This is our great asset, as it represents the potential for the present and future. But it is no secret that the demographic situation is an advantage when there is rapid economic development. The demographic situation must be supplemented by major economic reforms. If it isn’t, the economy doesn’t develop and the population continues to grow, then it can turn into a problem. If the demographic situation grows along with the economy, then it means a huge potential and a major force. In the future, the solution of problems in the world will be associated with the potential of countries, including the demographic situation.

At the same time, I want to express my attitude to another thought expressed here. I believe that this is also a very valuable idea, and Azerbaijan is making effort in this direction. The joint activities of our Diaspora organizations are very important. We occasionally conduct forums of Turkish and Azerbaijani Diaspora organizations in Azerbaijan and Turkey.

A joint congress has also been held. I believe that consolidation of efforts in this area would be useful because millions of our compatriots living abroad today represent our peoples. I believe there are excellent opportunities to organize them and bring them together. Individually, there are Diaspora organizations. In many cases they coordinate their activities. But in this format, in the form of a union of Diaspora organizations of member-countries of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States, I think it will further strengthen our work in all respects.

Х Х Х

In short, dear friends and dear heads of state, I am sure that today’s summit will be yet another successful stage. From today Azerbaijan takes over Presidency in the Council. I want to assure you that we will work hard, so that our organization becomes even stronger over the next year and all our objectives are successfully met. I express to you my deep respect and reverence for all of you again. Thank you!