Khiva and Shusha: Advancing Unity and Strengthening Turkic Identity Through Cultural Cooperation

Khiva, April 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Adil Karimli, has extended deep gratitude to the Republic of Uzbekistan for its exceptional organization and warm hospitality during the 2nd Turkic World Culture Forum and the International Bakhshi Art Festival, held in the historic Khorezm region.

In a formal statement, Karimli commended Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Culture and regional leadership for their dedication to preserving and promoting Turkic culture. He highlighted Uzbekistan’s cultural renaissance, calling it a driving force of positive transformation within the country and the wider Turkic world.

“The concurrent organization of the 2nd Turkic World Culture Forum and the International Bakhshi Art Festival enhances the cultural resonance and symbolic value of both events,” Karimli remarked. He emphasized that the revival of Bakhshi art—a core expression of Turkic oral tradition and storytelling—plays a crucial role in preserving national identity and transmitting ancestral values to younger generations.

Karimli underlined the importance of ongoing cooperation with leading international organizations, including TURKSOY, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Turkic Academy, and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States. Their joint efforts, he said, are instrumental in enhancing the forum’s prestige and fostering deeper cultural integration.

Reflecting on the inaugural forum held two years earlier in Shusha, Azerbaijan’s cultural capital, Karimli recalled its foundational theme, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow of Turkic Culture.” He noted that the platform has proven vital in addressing shared challenges and advancing collaborative solutions in cultural heritage, language, and creative industries.

Among the notable initiatives launched in Shusha were the “Cultural Route of the Turkic World” and proposals for the Association of Turkic Animation. These initiatives, Karimli noted, received endorsement at the highest political level during the 11th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Bishkek. The cultural partnership between Shusha and Khiva, formalized through their twin city agreement in February 2023, was also cited as a symbol of enduring fraternity.

The minister observed that cultural diplomacy among Turkic states has flourished in recent years, thanks to visionary leadership, mutual trust, and active cooperation across bilateral and multilateral formats. “Azerbaijan’s cultural policy is rooted in strengthening ties with Turkic peoples and organizations,” he said, reaffirming the guiding principle of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev: “Our family is the Turkic world.”

Karimli also referred to the Azerbaijani President’s remarks at the informal Summit of Turkic States in Shusha in July 2023, where the aspiration for the “21st century to become the century of the Turkic world” was declared. This, he said, is the cornerstone of Azerbaijan’s cultural initiatives at home and abroad.

Praising the solidarity of Turkic states in Azerbaijan’s post-conflict recovery, Karimli highlighted landmark projects supported by friendly nations in liberated territories: the construction of a school in Fuzuli by Uzbekistan, a Children’s Creativity Center in Fuzuli by Kazakhstan, and a school in Aghdam by Kyrgyzstan.

He concluded by paying tribute to the enduring legacy of Turkic civilization and its profound impact on world culture. He invoked the intellectual contributions of luminaries such as Nizami Ganjavi, Yunus Emre, Alisher Navoi, and Chingiz Aitmatov, stressing that the cultural geography of the Turkic world transcends national borders and calls for continued integration.

Karimli reiterated Azerbaijan’s support for initiatives to develop an ethnocultural map of the Turkic world, catalog endangered traditions, and safeguard intangible heritage. “Our cultural unity is not just a historical memory—it is a shared future built on mutual respect, solidarity, and creative collaboration,” he stated.