Azerbaijan joins Hungarian-Turkic summit to boost cultural and educational ties PHOTO

The Hungarian-Turkic Summit on Culture, Higher Education, and Innovation was held in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Azerbaijan was represented at the summit by a delegation led by Deputy Minister of Culture Saadat Yusifova.

According to the Ministry of Culture, cited by local media, the summit's opening ceremony was moderated by Hungary’s Minister of Culture and Innovation, Balázs Hankó, Caliber.Az reports.

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), Kubanychbek Omuraliyev, delivered a keynote address, highlighting the significance of the summit and underlining that such events make a valuable contribution to fostering cultural cooperation among friendly nations.

Following the opening, two plenary sessions were held, focusing on advancing cooperation between Hungary and the Turkic world in the spheres of education and innovation. During these sessions, deputy ministers from Turkic countries responsible for education and innovation delivered speeches outlining joint strategies and priorities.

The summit continued on its second day with a third plenary session entitled “Common Cultural Ties: How Can We Better Cooperate as a Region to Showcase Our Traditions to the World?”. The session featured a speech by Sultan Rayev, Secretary General of TURKSOY, followed by addresses from Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister Saadat Yusifova and her counterparts from Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

In her remarks, Yusifova emphasised the achievements made in recent years in the area of cultural cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungary, noting that the close and friendly relations between the two countries are also flourishing in the cultural domain.

She also highlighted that in 2023, the Cultural Forum of the Turkic World was held for the first time in Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan. The event marked the launch of significant initiatives aimed at strengthening cultural ties among Turkic states, culminating in the adoption of the Shusha Declaration. Yusifova noted that efforts to bring the peoples of the Turkic world closer together are supported through the production of joint films—including animated features—that reflect the rich historical and cultural heritage of Turkic republics, as well as through the implementation of exchange programs among professionals in the cultural sector and other collaborative initiatives.

At the conclusion of the summit, a final declaration was adopted. The document outlines plans for the further development of multilateral cooperation in the cultural field, reinforces the commitment to collaboration in the film industry, and emphasises the importance of enhancing youth engagement in areas such as museum work and media literacy.

By Tamilla Hasanova