BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 13. Austria's Vienna
hosted discussions on the role of the Middle Corridor in connecting
east and west as part of events organized within Turkic Week, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend.


Turkic Week is being held in Vienna on January 12-15 with the
joint organization of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and
the permanent missions of its member states to the United Nations
Office in Vienna. The week began with the ceremonial opening of an
exhibition titled “The Turkic World on the Silk Road” at the UN
Vienna Office.


The opening ceremony was organized by the Permanent Mission of
the Republic of Azerbaijan to the International Organizations in
Vienna and attended by OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev,
Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Samir Sharifov, heads of
several international organizations based in Vienna, and
representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the city.


The statement reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Samir
Sharifov, representing Azerbaijan as the current chair of the OTS,
delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. In his remarks,
Sharifov outlined the priorities of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship in
the OTS, referred to the Nakhchivan Agreement signed to establish
the organization, and the Gabala Declaration adopted at the 12th
Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the OTS, as well as the
declaration adopted at the informal summit held in Budapest.
Highlighting the economic potential of cooperation among Turkic
states, he emphasized the role played by the Middle Corridor in
linking east and west.


During his speech, Sharifov also touched upon current issues of
cooperation among Turkic states in the fields of culture, science,
and education, noting that the first Turkological Congress
dedicated to the study of the shared Turkic cultural heritage and
language was held in Baku a century ago, and that the second
Congress will also take place in Baku this year.


Speeches at the exhibition opening were also delivered by OTS
Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev, as well as senior
officials from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).


The exhibition features photographs and exhibits reflecting the
rich cultural heritage and ancient history of Turkic peoples.


As part of the visit, Deputy Foreign Minister Samir Sharifov and
OTS Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev also met with IAEA
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, Deputy Director General of
the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Driss
El-Hadani, and Deputy Director General of UNIDO Fatou Haidara,
discussing potential areas of cooperation between the OTS and these
organizations.


In addition, within the framework of Turkic Week, a roundtable
titled “From the Silk Road to the Middle Corridor: Promoting
Connectivity Through Transport and Trade Facilitation” will be held
at the headquarters of the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), alongside a gala concert featuring
cultural representatives of Turkic states and the third training
program aimed at strengthening the diaspora potential of the
OTS.


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