― 18 августа 2025 г.

The 5th Senior Officials Meeting of TURKSOY ended with a high-level closing session in Trabzon

The 5th Senior Officials' Meeting organised by the International Organisation of Turkic Culture ended with a High-Level Closing Session held at the historic Kızlar Monastery in Trabzon with widespread participation. With the support of the Metropolitan Municipality of Trabzon, the event brought together high-level representatives from member countries, local officials, and invited guests, who made important assessments regarding the future of cultural cooperation within the Turkic World.

The closing session was attended by the Governor of Trabzon Mr. Aziz Yıldırım, Mayor  of the Metropolitan Municipality of Trabzon Mr. Ahmet Metin Genç, TURKSOY Secretary General Mr. Sultan Raev, TURKSOY Deputy Secretary General Mr. Sayit Yusuf, the Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Mr. Ferid Caferov, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Mr. Aybek Sydykov, the Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Tamer Erdoğan, former Ministers Mr. Faruk Nafiz Özak and Mr. Mehmet Cahit Turhan along with high-level representatives from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Secretary General Raev: ‘The unity of the Turkic World is our greatest strength.’

In his speech, TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev drew attention to the cultural heritage of Trabzon for the Turkic World and said: "With its deep-rooted civilisation, rich art and literature, Trabzon is a common value not only for Türkiye but also for the entire Turkic World. Since its establishment, TURKSOY has adopted as its principle to bring together our kindred  peoples through the common language of culture and art, and the transmission of our common heritage to future generations. Our strongest belief is  that the more united the Turkic World is, the stronger our culture will be; and our future will be all the more so brighter."

Secretary General Raev who  also touched upon activities planned for 2025 highlighted the success of events organised by the city of Aktau as ‘Cultural  Capital of the Turkic World 2025’ as well as projects aimed at young people and thematic gatherings held in  the fields of literature, cinema, and theatre.

Mayor Genç: Trabzon is a candidate for the title of  Cultural  Capital of the Turkic World 2027

In his speech, the Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Trabzon Mr. Ahmet Metin Genç emphasised the city's emotional ties with the Turkic World and said: "Our goal is to see Trabzon become the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2027. We have prepared our application for 2027. We will carry out this process with a transparent and cooperative approach in order to introduce  the cultural and artistic  heritage of Trabzon to large audiences."

In the meeting, Mr. Dursun Ali İnan, founder of the Wooden Products’ Museum, who has contributed to cultural and artistic events held in Trabzon for over 30 years, was awarded the Medal of TURKSOY by Secretary General Sultan Raev.

The Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Trabzon Mr. Ahmet Metin Genç was awarded the Honor Medal of TURKSOY for his contributions to the Turkic World.

The closing event ended with group photographs taken as a remembrance of the day.