Diaspora

Diaspora

Meeting of Coordination Council of World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora Organizations ends in Berlin

28 March 2008 09:55 (UTC +04:00)

He said that the discussions covered the most important targets lying ahead of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations. Nazim Ibrahimov underlined that Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations were contributing to the development of the relations among the Turkish-speaking states.
â€œFirst steps are being taken to establish the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkish-speaking countries, the issue on setting up the Summitsâ€™ secretariat of heads of governments and states of Turkish-speaking countries is one of the contributions to the cooperation among Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations,â€ he said.
Chief of the Presidentâ€™s Office socio-political department Ali Hasanov said that the main issue was the activeness of Diaspora members in all spheres.
â€œDiaspora organizations participate in all socio-political, humanitarian events, including the events on the state level and increase their importance,â€ he said.
Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Germany Parviz Shahbazov mentioned that the meeting coincided with the opening of Azerbaijani Year in Germany. According to the ambassador, the coincidence of the two events allows the members of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas to get acquainted with the classic and rich examples of Azerbaijani culture.
President of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, chairman of the Management Board of World Azerbaijanisâ€™ Coordination Council Mahmud Karimov said that there was a need to use new means of propaganda to prevent the propaganda of Armenian Diaspora and Armenian genocide claims, as well as to inform the international community of Azerbaijani and Turkish truths. Mahmud Karimov said it was important to establish a common Turkish language, it could accelerate the process of integration and ground the establishment of unique Turkish television that would be transmitted in all the Turkish-speaking states.
Azerbaijani parliamentarian Ganira Pashayeva made speech on â€œThe role of our Diasporas in the solution of common problemsâ€. She said that all the Diaspora members should know the common problems to reach more productive results of joint activity of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations. The parliamentarian offered to prepare a book covering common problems, translate it into various languages and distribute among the Diaspora organizations.
President of Assembly of Turkish American Associations Nurten Ural said the cooperation between Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations in America worried the Armenian Diaspora.
Tomris Azeri, president of Azerbaijan Society of America, also said the present results of the joint activity of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations worried the Armenians. Tomris Azeri spoke about the importance of US Azeris Network and said the Diaspora members immediately receive information about all necessary documents and events through the network.
Speaking about the establishment of unique Turkish television Nizami Jafarov said it was important for establishing the ideological bases of the Turkish unity. The parliamentarian said the television should be financed at the expenditure of Turkish-speaking countriesâ€™ budget. He noted that it would be expedient to base the main office of the television in Istanbul, but the television should have representations in all the Turkish-speaking countries.
Chairman of Benelux Azerbaijanisâ€™ Congress Sahil Gasimli said it was planned to open a second Sunday School and establish the Azeri-language radio in the Netherlands. The radio is planned to broadcast programs in English, Dutch and other languages.
Decision was made to establish 9-member Management Board of the he Coordination Council of World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora Organizations. The Council will also have a secretariat and this structure will be located in a European country.
Berlin Declaration was adopted at the end of the meeting. According to the declaration, the Coordination Council welcomed the initiative on establishing Azerbaijan-Turkey Interparliamentary Assembly put forth in the 11th Friendship, Brotherhood, and Cooperation Congress of Turkic States and Communities, supported the idea of establishing Summitsâ€™ secretariat of heads of states of Turkish-speaking countries and called on the governments of Turkish-speaking countries to take the related measures for its implementation. The document also supported the decision of the 11th Friendship, Brotherhood, and Cooperation Congress of Turkic States and Communities on establishing unique television of the Turkish-speaking countries. The document offers to determine a related strategy for promoting truths of Azerbaijan and Turkey basing on the proposals of the Coordination Council members, to hold a joint forum of Azerbaijani and Turkish businessmen living in foreign countries in line with â€œThe strategy of Joint Activity of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizationsâ€, ensure establishment of Advisory Council, to mobilize activity of Azerbaijani and Turkish communities for the implementation of the decision passed at the 11th Friendship, Brotherhood, and Cooperation Congress of Turkic States and Communities on establishing a museum demonstrating the history and culture of Turkish-speaking peoples and carry out the activities related to the â€œStrategy of Joint Activityâ€ in order to defend the rights of Iraqi Turkmen and attract the attention of the international community to the solution of the problems of repatriation of Ahiska Turks.
Another document adopted at the meeting of the Coordination Council of World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora Organizations is the statement on the 90th anniversary of the genocide of Azerbaijanis on March 31, 1918. The Coordination Council once more appeals to the international community calling to condemn terrorist and genocide acts committed by Armenian nationalists against Turkish peoples and especially Azerbaijanis, and calls the international organizations and world countries to give unbiased assessment to the developments.
Members of the Coordination Council of World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora Organizations appealed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President of Turkey Abdullah Gul.
Following this, â€œGobustanâ€ International Award on the results of 2007 was presented. The awards were presented to president of Assembly of Turkish American Associations Nurten Ural, president of Azerbaijan Society of America Tomris Azeri and director of Norwegian Institute of Research of Turkish-speaking countriesâ€™ history Sefa Martin Yurukel. Azerbaijani embassy in Germany, Turkish-Azerbaijani Culture Circle in the Netherlands, Congress of European Azerbaijanis, European representation of Iraqi Turkmen Front, Circles Federation of Ahiska Turks and Cultural Center of Georgian Azerbaijanis are among the awarded bodies.

â€œSari gelinâ€ compact disk prepared on the initiative of the Congress of European Azerbaijanis was presented at the end of the meeting.
The Coordination Council of World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora Organizations was set up in the first Forum of heads of Azerbaijani and Turkish Diaspora organizations. The Coordination Council set up to coordinate the activity of Azerbaijani and Turkish communities has 101 members.