― 9 апреля 2023 г.

The 9th Meeting of National Commissions of TURKSOY Member Countries to UNESCO came to an end in Shusha

The 9th Meeting of  UNESCO National Commissions  of TURKSOY Member States ended with a closing event in Shusha, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023.

The 9th Meeting of  UNESCO National Commissions  of TURKSOY Member States was held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on  April 7th, 2023 and took place in cooperation of TURKSOY with  the National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO and the ADA University in Shusha, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World.

In the speech he delivered  at the closing session of the event gathering representatives of the Turkic World to  UNESCO, Mr. Aydın Kerimov, the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Shusha, stated that the cultural heritage of Shusha was destroyed during the occupation period and that any traces of Turkic culture and its history were tried to be erased from these lands. Mr. Kerimov who mentioned that there are about 200 items of  cultural heritage in the city known as the cradle of Azerbaijan's culture and art further  stated that after the liberation of Shusha from its occupation, the Azerbaijani administration attached great importance to the restoration of cultural assets in the region and provided information about the work carried out within this framework.

The event also featured the presentation of  the book "Shusha - Cultural Capital of Azerbaijan with Historical and Strategic Importance" by Prof. Dr. Elchin Ahmedov, President of the “Karabakh Heritage Research Centre”.

The speeches delivered at the clossing session, plaquettes and certificates were handed over to  participants of the 9th Meeting of the UNESCO National Commissions of TURKSOY Member Countries and the heads of the UNESCO National Commissions of Benin, Niger, Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Gabon, Djibouti, Côte d'Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, who participated in these meetings as guests. 

The plaquettes and certificates were handed over by Prof. Dr. Bilal Çakıcı, Mr. Aydın Kerimov, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Shusha,  Prof. Dr. Öcal Oğuz, Chairman of the National Commission of Türkiye for UNESCO and Mr. Seymur Fataliyev, Secretary General of the National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO.

Within the framework of the event, the participants also had the opportunity to visit the ancient  Fortress of Shusha as well as the Shusha Square, the Jidir Plain and the Vagif Mausoleum to get acquainted with the historical sights of the city.

The closing event of  the 9th Meeting of  UNESCO National Commissions of TURKSOY Member Countries ended with a performance by  the "Garabagh" mugham group led by the  State Artist of Azerbaijan and famous mugham performer Mansum Ibrahimov  featuring  Mrs. Ayten Meherremova and Mrs. Sona Azizova who took the stage as soloists and sang  songs about Karabakh and Shusha. Famous songs and melodies from Azerbaijan  were strongly appreciated by the audience and  received its standing ovations.