On October 10, 2023, the International Conference " Livable And Sustainable Heritage Cities" organized by the Organization of the Turkic States and the Historical and Architectural Reserve of Icherisheher began its work in Baku.
The conference is attended by statesmen, deputies of the Milli Majlis, representatives of science and higher educational institutions, as well as international organizations. Deputy Secretary General of the OTS Sadi Jafarov, President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, Chairman of the Board of the Historical and Architectural Reserve of Icherisheher Shahin Seidzade, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Saadat Yusifova, Deputy Chairman of the State Agency for Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan Azade Huseynova, Deputy Secretary General of TURKSOY Sait Yusuf, Head of the Project Department of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Nuri Aksu, Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ambassador for Special Tasks, General Secretary of the National Commission for UNESCO Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Seymur Fataliyev, Director of ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) Joseph King, and Secretary General of the World Heritage Cities Organization Mikhael De Theyis made speeches where they welcomed the participants of the conference and wished them success in the work of the conference. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Sadi Jafarov said that the Organization plays an important role in protecting our great cultural heritage and transferring it on to future generations. He also noted that the OTS attaches great importance to cooperation with international institutions. In his speech, the President of the Turkic Academy stressed that heritage cities occupy an important place in our common history and cultural identity, and that the theme of this conference emphasizes the need to maintain a delicate balance between preserving the unique value of the heritage of cities and at the same time ensuring that they are suitable for the lives of their inhabitants and sustainable for future generations. In this regard, he noted that the Turkic Academy also contributes to the development of the program of cultural routes of the Turkic world, and is ready to support this topic by conducting research on urbanization in the Turkic world. The international conference, which will last until October 13, 2023, will focus on such issues as the management of historical cities, the preservation and restoration of historical monuments, as well as sustainable tourism, digital transformation in historical cities and reserves, the organization of museum work and other topics. Within the framework of the conference, panel sessions are held on the topics "Sustainable Heritage of Cities/Monuments: the Revival of the Cultural Environment through Effective Management and Preservation of Monuments", "Development of Sustainable Tourism in Heritage Cities/monuments", "Museums of Heritage Cities as Innovative and Creative Spaces". Also, within the framework of the event, the "Baku Declaration" was signed on the creation of a network of offices for Turkic monuments of the countries of the OTS. The creation of the network was proposed during the IX summit of the OTS on November 11, 2022 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The proposal was adopted unanimously and included in the final declaration of the Summit. The main purpose of the creation of the network is to expand cooperation in the field of protection, restoration and joint promotion of cultural heritage among the member States and observers of the OTS.
