V Summit of Turkic Speaking States

The V Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS) was held in Astana on September 11.

The Summit was attended by the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, and Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan.

The President of Kazakhstan emphasized the importance of further strengthening efforts for establishment of peace and stability in the region, and participation in international organizations.

Stressing the importance of increasing the transit capacity of the Caspian Sea and the project of the Eurasian land transport corridor, Nazarbayev noted that these projects will play an important role in promoting cooperation between the Member States of the Turkic Council in various fields, including tourism.

Speaking of education, he noted the importance of teaching the discipline General Turkic History and praised the role of the Turkic Academy in this context.

Nazarbayev also proposed the creation of the Turkish General Investment Fund and the Common Turkic TV Channel.

The Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Ismet Yilmaz said that the Turkic Council established under the Nakhchivan agreement in 2009 has made a significant contribution to the development of relations between these countries and peoples.

Noting that at present the world is undergoing rapid changes, Yilmaz noted the importance of information technologies and supported the idea of Turkic TV Channel.

Referring to the existing hotbeds of conflict in the region, Yilmaz said that the Karabakh conflict is the greatest threat to stability in the region. He noted that the member countries of the Turkic Council should intensify efforts to resolve this problem within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

In turn, Ilham Aliyev stressed the necessity of development of transport links in the region and in particular in the Caspian Sea. In the future, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will link Asia to Europe through the Caspian Sea. -02D-