JOINT STATEMENT by Participants of the "International Baku/Shusha Forum of Heads of State Institutions in Charge of Diaspora Affairs"

22 December, 2022

JOINT STATEMENT  by Participants of the "International Baku/Shusha Forum of Heads of State Institutions in Charge of Diaspora Affairs"

We – Participants of the Forum of Heads of State Institutions in charge of diaspora affairs, held in Baku / Shusha on December 20-21, 2022 are proud to welcome the world community in the cultural capital of Azerbaijan in the "Year of Shusha"!

The participating states of the Forum have always contributed to the close integration of their diasporas. Bilateral as well as multilateral meetings, various programs and forums held in line with the Turkic Diaspora Joint Activity Strategy adopted within the framework of the Organization of the Turkic States has served to further expansion of our relations. Over the years, in order to protect common interests, opportunities in the diaspora have been combined, unity and solidarity have been displayed in regional and international strategic issues of common interest.

In particular, a number of important steps have been taken towards rapprochement and cooperation between the diasporas of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States: In addition to the mapping out a joint strategy of action for all Turkic diasporas, memorandums were signed between the institutions in charge of diaspora affairs of most member states, mutual visits and meetings of heads of institutions were held, exchange of experience programs among the diaspora institutions of the member states were implemented in Baku and Bursa, capacity building training programs were conducted for the Turkic diasporas in Berlin and New York. Turkic Diaspora Forums were convened in Baku and Bursa with the participation of diaspora NGOs, business people, academia representatives, among others, from across the world, and the practice of guiding the Turkic diasporas with annual joint activity plans was instituted.

In this context, the information support provided by the Turkic world during the 44-day War played a big role in promoting worldwide the truth about Azerbaijan as well as preventing provocations directed against Azerbaijan.

Following the victory of Azerbaijan of the 44-day War, the Shusha Declaration, signed between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in June 2021, opened up new horizons for the Joint Action Strategy of the Turkic Diasporas. The program document, which is of great importance regarding the further activities of our diasporas, reveals as one of the serious tasks the accession of other countries that are members of the Organization of Turkic States to a single diaspora movement, the development of cooperation, solidarity and mutual support in solving common problems. The sensitivity of the Turkic States on the development of a common diaspora policy has been reflected to the Turkic World Vision-2040 and Strategy 2022-2026 documents of the Organization of Turkic States, both of which were adopted at the Istanbul and Samarkand Summits of the Organization in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

The Samarkand Declaration of the 9th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States and other documents adopted here provide favorable conditions for achieving the assigned important goals, especially for protecting the national rights of the Turks living in the world, and for closer unification of our actions within a single diaspora movement.  

As the leaders of the Turkic States stressed, the Summit is of great importance from the point of view of discussing solutions to problems that concern the entire Turkic world. Thus, the problem of young people living in the countries of the Turkic world, regardless of the country of their residence, expressed in the necessity of being educated in their native language in schools, should always be on the agenda of the Organization of Turkic States. Unfortunately, Turkic peoples living outside of many Turkic countries were deprived of these opportunities.

We declare that the 200 million Turkic world is a big family covering a wide geography. We, as members of this family, will stay true to the aim of the unity of the Turkic world, continue to support each other in the name of our national interests, strengthen our solidarity and expand our cooperation!

 

Shusha city, December 21, 2022

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