BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 15. On March 14, 2024, an international conference on “Study and Preservation of the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World from the Perspective of UNESCO” was held in Baku with the joint organization of the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, the Turkic Academy, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the National Commission of the Republic of Türkiye for UNESCO, as well as the Institute for Development and Diplomacy of ADA University, Trend reports.
The opening of the conference was attended by Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Adil Karimli, Secretary general of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova, President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, Chairman of the National Commission of the Republic of Türkiye for UNESCO Professor Öcal Oğuz, President of the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language and History Derya Örs, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the Board of the Department of the State Historical and Architectural Reserve "Icherisheher" Shahin Seidzade, and also the President of the UNESCO General Conference Simona - Mirela Miculescu welcomed the participants of the event with a video message.
Speaking at the event president of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova underlined the Foundation's activities within the framework of the TURKTIME strategic development program adopted at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Astana on November 3, 2023. Aktoty Raimkulova stressed that the organization she heads is preparing a legal framework for the preservation and restoration of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples – the "Turkic Cultural Heritage Convention", and has also taken steps to create a digital platform on the Turkic heritage.
The president of the Foundation noted that the issue of active participation in the restoration and reconstruction process carried out in the member and observer countries will be at the forefront of the Foundation's activity plan for the coming years: "The restoration of the Gochahmadli mosque in the Fizuli district, as well as the restoration of the house museum of the famous Kyrgyz writer Alykul Osmonov in Bishkek are priorities for the coming years two years".
Aktoty Raimkulova noted that educational programs play an
important role in preserving the common material and cultural
heritage: "Our historical and cultural heritage unites the past and
the present, allowing people of all ages and peoples to learn the
depth of the Turkic heritage. In this regard, we plan to hold a
number of events, including organizing winter and summer schools,
as well as trips for young professionals and students involved in
the preservation and protection of cultural heritage, to implement
capacity-building projects, exchange programs".
Aktoty Raimkulova spoke about the work of the Turkic Culture and
Heritage in creating a procedure for adding joint nominations of
the Turkic world to the UNESCO World Heritage List. She stressed
that the Foundation, in cooperation with the Department of the
State Historical and Architectural Reserve "Icherisheher" under the
Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has begun the
process of adding an original art form belonging to the Turkic
world - "Gurama" to the World Heritage List.
Four sessions with breaks are scheduled for the first day of the conference. The first session is devoted to the National Strategies and Approaches for Preserving the Cultural Heritage of the Turkic World under the moderation of the President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, the second session is devoted to the Collaboration of Turkic Cooperation Organizations for the Preservation, Documentation, and Promotion of Cultural Heritage under the moderation of the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova, the third session is devoted to the Innovative Approaches and Necessary Works for Preserving and Promoting Cultural Heritage was moderated by the President of the Turkish Language Association Osman Mert, and the last session covers the topic “Projects-Based Cooperation of National Commissions in the Protection/Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage” was moderated by the Ambassador-at-Large - Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO Seymur Fataliyev.