BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 14. The First Cultural Forum of the Turkic World has adopted Shusha Declaration, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan told Trend.
The declaration conveyed the forum participants' gratitude to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for his support of the First Cultural Forum of the Turkic World, their welcoming the "Great Return" to Shusha, the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2023, extensive restoration and construction work, and the revival of the cultural environment in Azerbaijan's liberated territories.
Besides, the declaration conveyed the participants' call on relevant international organizations to take a firm stance on the scale of destruction of historical and cultural monuments, which are an integral part of the cultural heritage of the Turkic world, demand for a response to serious violations of international humanitarian law, such as smuggling and the illegal trade of cultural valuables over the 30-year period of Armenian occupation in the Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur regions of Azerbaijan.
Moreover, given the positive outcome achieved during the First Cultural Forum of the Turkic World, the participants welcomed the creation of a network of leaders in the Turkic world for heritage, which will serve as a platform for joint activities and the exchange of best practices in the study, restoration, preservation, and promotion of Turkic historical and cultural heritage, and highly appreciated the establishment of a program for cultural routes in the Turkic world.
The event participants also noted that the Cultural Forum of the Turkic World, convened at the initiative of Azerbaijan, has been successful as an important universal platform that brings together representatives of all stakeholders, and proposed holding the forum every two years.
The First Cultural Forum of the Turkic World on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev, organized by the Ministry of Culture, started in Shusha on October 13.
The event has finalized with taking a group photo of the participants to commemorate the occasion.