Today (17 November) the 11th Friendly, Fraternal and Co-operation Congress of the Turkic countries and communities will take place in Baku. The Congress will bring together nearly 550 delegates from 30 countries, including the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Turkey, Rajab Tayyub Erdogan and high-ranking governmental representatives of the Turkic-speaking states. Generally the Congress is expected to be attended by 1150 people.
The Congress will focus on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, North Cyprus problem, situation of Turkic-speaking peoples residing in Iraq and Afghanistan, problems in returning Akhiska Turks to their native lands. Six commissions will function within the Congress.
The 11th Congress will also be attended by the representatives of the Turkic-speaking peoples residing in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, in Altay region of Russia, Bashkortostan, Chuvash, Dagestan, Gabardine-Balkan, Tatarstan, Garachay-Cherkez Republic, Crimea Romania, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Greece, as well as Kumuk, Nogday, North Cyprus, Gagauz and Akhiska Turks.
The Congress is aimed at strengthening friendly, fraternal and co-operation relations amongst the Turkic countries and communities, ensuring information exchange amongst them, propagating richness of the Turkic culture, developing bilateral economic co-operation and seeking joint ways of resolving the general problems of the Turkic peoples.
The Chairman of the State Commission for Work with the Azerbaijanis Residing Abroad, Nazim Ibrahimov, said that AZN 1mln was allocated from the Reserve Fund of Azerbaijan President for holding the Congress.