On December 9, the fourth session of the Azerbaijan-Türkiye Joint Cultural Commission was held in the National Library of Azerbaijan named after M.F. Akhundzadeh. It is worth mentioning that the third session of the Commission was held in Ankara on November 13, 2023.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Farid Jafarov, and the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Batuhan Mumcun. Welcoming the guests, Deputy Minister Farid Jafarov noted the exceptional role of friendly and brotherly relations between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Türkiye in strengthening cooperation between the two countries in all fields, including culture. He quoted the famous saying of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, "We are one nation, two states," and emphasized that this cooperation is manifested in all fields, especially in culture. We were particularly pleased with
Türkiye's participation in the sixth World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue themed Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity, held in our country, and the opening ceremony of "Shusha - Cultural Capital of the Islamic World 2024", held in Shusha on May 11.
The participation of Azerbaijan as the "Honorary Guest Country" at the 41st Istanbul International Book Fair in November further highlights the strong cultural cooperation between the two countries. The participation and speech of the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, at the second High-Level Meeting of Ministers of Culture on Culture-Based Climate Action, held in Azerbaijan on November 11-22 during the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), was also very important. Farid Jafarov mentioned the signing of the "Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Türkiye" by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Shusha on June 15, 2021, and described it as the culmination of relations between the two countries. The deputy minister said the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship is manifested both bilaterally and internationally. He emphasized that at the 18th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held on December 6 last year in Kasane, Botswana, four more elements of Azerbaijan's intangible cultural heritage were included in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Two of them, " Craftsmanship and Performing Art of Balaban/Mey" and "Craftsmanship of Mother-of-Pearl Inlay,"were joint nominations of Azerbaijan and Türkiye. The multinational files "Art of Tazhib"and "Iftar and its socio-cultural traditions" were also accepted with the participation of both countries.
Turkish Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Batuhan Mumcu recalled that the first meeting of the Joint Cultural Commission was held in Ankara on March 1, 2021. He emphasized the common history, language, religion, and cultural roots of Türkiye and Azerbaijan and noted the high level of cooperation between the countries, which continues to expand.
He highlighted significant joint efforts and numerous projects implemented in various cultural fields, including cinema, theater, museum studies, books, and intangible cultural heritage. Since the third meeting of the Joint Cultural Commission, attended by representatives from relevant ministries of both countries, cultural cooperation has been further strengthened and relations between relevant institutions have deepened. Many issues listed in the report signed at the end of that meeting have been resolved, while work on others is in progress. The heads of the relevant departments of the two ministries discussed cooperation in the fields of cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage, cinema and other audiovisual fields, museum work, the book industry, performing arts (theatre), cultural and creative industries, as well as the exchange of experience in improving the regulatory and legal framework, strategic development, project and institutional management, cultural education, and international cooperation.
Prospects for future cooperation in these areas were also discussed. After the speeches, the Protocol of the Fourth Meeting of the Joint Commission was signed.
This protocol deals with the strengthening of cultural ties and further expansion of cooperation between the two countries, including aspects of cultural heritage, museum studies, cooperation within international organizations, cinema, librarianship, creative industries, performing arts, concerts and festivals, the exchange of experience, and other areas.
The parties agreed to convene the next meeting of the Joint Commission in Türkiye in 2025. The exact date and other details will be determined through diplomatic channels.
Gifts were exchanged at the end of the meeting.
