On October 13, 2023, the opening of the First Cultural Forum of the Turkic World dedicated to the 100th anniversary of thr National Leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev took place in Shusha. The forum has been organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Turkic Academy and TURKSOY.
The event is attended by the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Kubanychbek Omuraliyev, the President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, the Secretary General of TURKSOY Sultan Raev, the Secretary General of TurkPA Mehmet Sureya Er, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Adil Kerimli, officials, figures of science and culture, masters of arts and creative collectives of the Turkic states. The Forum will provide a platform for discussing and studying various aspects of the Turkic civilization, including its history, language, literature and architecture, as well as exploring opportunities for cooperation in the field of culture and creative industries, including thise within the framework of the Cultural Routes of the Turkic World initiative. The 40th meeting of the Permanent Council of Ministers of Culture of TURKSOY and the meeting of the Union of Museums of TURKSOY will also be held within the framework of the Forum. At the beginning of the opening ceremony of the Forum, a video was shown dedicated to the construction and restoration work on the territories liberated from occupation, as well as to the events and festivals held in Shusha. A literary and artistic production was also presented for the guests of the event. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Culture Adil Kerimli said that the entitling of the city of Shusha as the "Cultural Capital of the Turkic World" in 2023 is evidence of the special attention of the Turkic World to Shusha. In his welcoming speech, the Head of the Turkic Academy, Shahin Mustafayev, stressed that the Turkic world is entering a new era, a new stage of its historical development, and called for the Turkic world to take its rightful place in the XXI century, to take care of the common identity based on its own culture and values. In this regard, he noted that the organization of the Cultural Forum of the Turkic World is extremely important both in time and place. Noting that the TURKSOY international organization was created in order to protect, develop and popularize the Turkic culture, language, and history and to transmit it to the future generations, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev said that a lot of work has been done to develop the ties between Turkic-speaking peoples and countries in the field of culture and art. Secretary General of OTG Kubanychbek Omuraliyev, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries Mehmet Sureya Er, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Academician Isa Habibbeyli and Chairman of the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan, People's Writer Anar also spoke at the event. The speakers spoke about the importance of supporting and popularizing the Turkic culture, and the unity of fraternal peoples. The Forum will continue its work within the framework of three panels: "Turkic languages and literature: differentiation and integration", "Best practices in the field of protection and restoration of cultural and historical heritage", "Creative industries and innovations". Within the framework of the second day of the Forum, the Turkic Academy and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan will organize a panel discussion "Protection, restoration and preservation of historical and cultural monuments in the Turkic world". The First Cultural Forum of the Turkic World will end its work on October 14.
