The Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States that met on the Uzbek city of Samarkand on November 11 on the theme of “New Era for Turkic Civilization: Towards Common Development and Prosperity” has ended with adoption of a joint declaration.
Reiterating their resolve to further deepen and widen cooperation within the multilateral framework of the Organization of Turkic States based on common history, language, culture, traditions, and values of the Turkic peoples;
Emphasizing their commitment to enhance the organization’s role in ensuring cooperative and coordinated action in the Turkic World and further promoting the values and interests of the Turkic World in the regional and international arena;
Acknowledging the historical, political, and socio-cultural significance of the ancient city of Samarkand in the unification of the Turkic peoples and the development of the Turkic culture, science, and statehood, as well as taking into account its location at the crossroads of the Great Silk Road; and noting that the holding of the Summit in the ancient and eternal city has a great symbolic meaning;
The heads of state declared that they will continue cooperating in political, foreign policy and security issues.
They adopted the new “Rules of Procedure of the Organization of Turkic States” and endorsed the “Organization of Turkic States Strategy for 2022-2026” for the implementation of the “Turkic World Vision-2040”.
They proclaimed Samarkand as the “Capital of the Turkic Civilization” taking into account its important role for the development of the Turkic civilization throughout the history.
The heads of state expressed support to the efforts of the Kyrgyz Republic to find a peaceful solution to the situation at the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in line with the fundamental principles of international law, reiterate the importance of resolving disputes exclusively by political and diplomatic means; in this context express the readiness of the Member States to assist in the efforts of Kyrgyzstan for development and reconstruction of infrastructure in the Kyrgyz Republic.
They underline their support for an inclusive and representative political system, which upholds fundamental human rights in Afghanistan, express their deep concern regarding the dire economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, stress the importance of addressing the substantial challenges facing Afghanistan’s economy and call on international community to strengthen efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
Touching upon the issue of economic and sectoral cooperation, the heads of state, in particular, commend the adoption of the “Organization of Turkic States Trade Facilitation Strategy Paper” to increase trade figures among the Member States through simplification and harmonization of trade and customs procedures, among others, as well as to reduce trade costs and expedite clearance of goods across the borders of the OTS Member States; instruct the responsible authorities of the Member States and task the Secretary General to take necessary measures arising from the mentioned Strategy, including the creation of the OTS Trade Facilitation Committee and the preparation by the Committee comprehensive action plan for the implementation of the document.
They welcomed the concept of establishing the “Research Center for Trade Cooperation in Turkic
Countries” and “Engineering and Technology Center” and the initiative to establish Turkic World Investment Forum as a platform providing B2B relations among the investors of the Member and Observer States and third parties which will be held annually.
On cooperation with external parties, the heads of state, in particular, urged strengthening the active cooperation of the Member and Observer States at international arena and encouraged supporting each other’s candidacies and initiatives including their resolutions, as well as joint statements to be delivered by the Member States on topics of common interest within international organizations, where possible.
They also welcomed the increasing attention of the third countries and international organizations in developing institutional cooperation with the Organization of Turkic States on areas of mutual interest, and urged to accelerate joint efforts to obtain observer status for Organization of Turkic States at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
