TURKSOY to celebrate its 30th anniversary in Shusha

International Organisation of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) Secretary-General Sultan Raev has said TURKSOY will celebrate its 30th anniversary in Azerbaijan, also in the cultural capital of the Turkic world - Shusha.

The TURKSOY anniversary will be celebrated in six Turkic states, Report quotes Raev as saying.

"We decided to start jubilee events with Kazakhstan, and on May 3 we held a round table dedicated to the results of the 30-year activity of the organization. In general, a series of events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of TURKSOY will be held on June 9 in Almaty, June 13 in Bishkek, June 18 in Tashkent and June 28-29 in Ashgabat,” he noted.

The TURKSOY chief outlined that a series of traditional TURKSOY events are planned, including meetings of artists, photographers, poets, museum and theatre directors.

"We offered to organise these events as part of other traditional events held in Shusha so that the result would be productive and effective. Photos and pictures from these events will be displayed in Shusha during the TURKSOY Permanent Council meeting scheduled for October, and in Baku as part of the events marking the organisation's 30th anniversary. These works will later be included in catalogues and albums,” Raev said.

The secretary-general added that the purpose of publishing the album was to promote the city of Shusha worldwide, in member countries and international organisations.

TURKSOY declared Shusha the "cultural capital of the Turkic world" in 2023.

Before the declaration, Shusha was already honoured as the cultural capital of Azerbaijan in an order signed by President Ilham Aliyev in May 2021, shortly after the city’s liberation from Armenian occupation in November 2020. In addition, in January, President Aliyev declared 2022 the “Year of Shusha” in Azerbaijan, celebrating the 270th anniversary of the city’s foundation.

Currently, Shusha - which was destroyed and looted by Armenians during 28 years of occupation from 1992 to 2020 - is being rapidly rebuilt by the Azerbaijani government. It will reportedly be open for tourism in 2023.

Shusha is an important city in the Karabakh (Garabagh) region due to its geographical location and historical significance as one of the major cultural, economic, and administrative centres of Azerbaijan.