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Common NGO Platform of Turkic-speaking countries to be established - PHOTOSESSION

Common NGO Platform of Turkic-speaking countries to be established - <font color=red>PHOTOSESSION</font>

13 April 2012 13:54 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports that member of the Turkish parliament, head of the Turkish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, chairman of Eurasia Nongovernmental Organizations Cooperation Society Ismail Safi and Eurasia Economic Cooperation Society Hikmet Eren, Azerbaijani parliamentarians, chiefs of media and NGOs attended the conference.

Organizer of the conference MP Ganira Pashayeva said though the relations between the government agencies of Azerbaijan and Turkey are on the highest level, the NGOs of the two countries do not cooperate. Ganira Pashayeva said the support of NGOs, media and think tanks is needed to solve the common problems of the two countries. She said during the visit of the Turkish guests, meetings will be held at the Center for Strategic Studies under President, Council of State Support for NGOs, State Committee on Work with Diaspora, visit to Khojavend will be organized, conference entitled â€œThe so-called Armenian genocide: the role and duties of NGOs and mass media in preventing claims and liesâ€ will be held there.

Turkish parliamentarian Ismail Safi underlined the importance of the cooperation between the civil society institutions of the two countries. He said though the states cooperated when the law supporting Armenians was adopted in France, serious gaps were observed in NGO sector.
â€œThe number of Turks and Armenians in the Netherlands is equal. But I can not say the same about the levers of influence,â€ he said.

Ismail Safi said they intend to establish Common Eurasian Platform bringing together NGOs of the Turkic-speaking states.
â€œWe plan to hold the first meeting in Turkey in September. We invite the Azerbaijani NGOs to cooperation,â€ he said.

Head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Asef Hajiyev also underlined the importance of improving the cooperation between NGOs and media of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

In her speech, Director General of â€œAPA Groupâ€ Vusala Mahirgizi announced that Azerbaijan-Turkey relations were always at a high level: â€œNew stage began in 2009 towards the integration of civil society institutions of Azerbaijan and Turkey. Media Forum of the Turkic-speaking Countries was first held in Ankara and then in Azerbaijan. Representatives of not only Turkic countries, but also Turkic communities were invited to this forum in Azerbaijan. Mahirgizi proposed to invite NGOs and Media representing Turkic countries to the Common Eurasian NGO Platform: â€œBecause peoples having states can have their say in various international organizations and events. There is no platform, where the Turkic communities can speak about their problems.â€

Mahirgizi said that the establishment of common news agency of Turkic speaking nations would give positive results.

Head of Azerbaijani community in Nagorno Karabakh Bayram Safarov, Advisor of at the Turkish embassy in Azerbaijan Gazi Bilgin, MPs Rovshan Rzayev and Jale Aliyeva, Head of National NGO Forum Rauf Zeyni and others underlined the necessity of developing relations between medias, NGOs and think tanks of Turkic Speaking countries, and made their proposals.