The leaders of Turkic republics met in Nakhchivan in October 2009 after a hiatus of four years, and a historic agreement was made at this meeting. Having met irregularly without any institutional framework until then, the Turkic republics agreed on an organizational structure for the first time. The name of this organization accepted at the summit, which Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan attended at the level of head of state – would be the Turkic Council. This structure was inspired by such models as the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the International Organization of the Francophonie.
The Turkic Council was to feature six departments that would work in different areas toward the same goals: the Foreign Ministers Council, the Senior Officials Council, the Wise Men Delegation, the Parliamentary Assembly (TurkPA), the Council Academy and the Joint Administration of Turkic Culture and Arts (Türksoy). According the agreement, the Council would have a permanent seat for its General Secretariat, and its secretary-general would serve a three-year term.
I was on the plane with some other journalists as President Abdullah Gül was flying to Nakhchivan for this meeting. Attaching great importance to relations with the Turkic-speaking world, Gül explained his dream of these relations should develop: “Just as European leaders can frequently meet without bothering about formalities of protocols or reciprocity, and just as they can have a breakfast in a capital and then travel to another capital for dinner, our relations should be like this.”
After signing the agreements establishing the Turkic Council, he expressed pleasure, saying: “This is a historic step. Everyone who feels himself a Turk should be proud of it. This union is not an alternative or barrier to other partnerships. It is a fact that we all speak the same language. Nothing can change this fact.”
Personally, I started feeling a little pessimistic when a year had passed and not a single step had been taken. Were we going to return to the beginning of the road that we had embarked upon with such big hopes? For Uzbekistan, one of the most important countries in the Turkic-speaking world, had not participated in this summit. There was low-level participation from Turkmenistan. These countries needed to be convinced. In order for the agreements to be approved by parliaments, for a general secretariat to be formed and, most importantly, for us to see that the organization had mobilized, a general secretary had to be chosen.
During a trip to Azerbaijan, this time to Baku, not Nakhchivan, with President Gül a year later, we received promising news, albeit a little late. The agreements had been approved in Parliament. In fact, this agreement was the last law that Parliament approved before its annual recess.
The meeting was supposed to be held in Kyrgyzstan, but due to the recent problems in that country it was scheduled to be held in İstanbul. The leaders of the Turkic-speaking world would meet for the Turkic summit on Sept. 15 and 16. Uzbekistan still needed to be convinced. But this time it became clear that Turkmenistan would participate at the presidential level. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov would come to İstanbul.
While the final decision was going to be made at the summit, Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Halil Akıncı, who spoke Russian and was familiar with the region, was chosen as the organization’s first general secretary. The location of the general secretariat’s building was clear, as well, provided that no bureaucratic obstacles arose. The strongest candidate was the Cihannüma Pavilion at Yıldız Palace, which was built by Sultan Abdülhamid II. As a result, the major part of the outline was ready. Now it was time to determine the ideas and projects that would carry relations with these sister countries to the highest-possible level. In other words, it was time to focus on the content.
I don’t know if these problems could have been overcome if it weren’t for the warm relations between Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President Gül. But since we have reached this point, let’s hope that a formula will be found for Uzbekistan and Uzbek President Islam Karimov, who, in the words of President Gül, adopted a policy in the latest crisis in Kyrgyzstan that suits a statesman, will come to İstanbul. Wouldn’t that be great news?
