Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, President of TDT Aksakallar Council Binali Yıldırım, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, representatives of diplomatic and military missions working in Istanbul and many guests attended the reception held in a hotel in Istanbul.
In his speech, TDT Secretary General Ömuraliyev celebrated the 3 October Turkish States Cooperation Day and the 17th anniversary of the signing of the Nakhchivan Agreement.
Pointing out that in recent years, the work of TDT member countries has increasingly spread to areas requiring specialization, Ömuraliyev said, "Currently, our cooperation is carried out through 64 cooperation mechanisms in a wide range from political dialogue, economy, trade, transportation and energy to digitalization, artificial intelligence, health, environment, education, youth, security and space technologies." he said.
Ömuraliyev emphasized that in this process, the interaction between TDT member countries has become stronger and economies have become more interconnected, and said, "Most importantly, we have strengthened our capacity to think together, plan together and act together." he said.
Secretary General Ömuraliyev emphasized that a stronger and more united Turkish world can make significant contributions to peace, stability, connectivity, sustainable development and dialogue not only for their own country, but also in the region and beyond.
Stating that this year's celebration was the last Turkic States Cooperation Day in which he participated as Secretary General, Ömuraliyev said, "The most valuable thing for me is an achievement that is not easy to express with statistics: The ever-growing awareness of mutual faith, solidarity and common purpose between our countries and institutions." he said.
Ömuraliyev noted that serving as the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States is one of the greatest honors of his professional life and said, "Titles and duties may change, but my commitment to the unity, cooperation and prosperity of the Turkic world will always continue." he said.
"The aim of the Turkish world is to contribute to regional and global peace."
TDT Aksakallar Council President Binali Yıldırım also thanked Ömuraliyev, whose term of office has ended, for his work carried out since 2022 and said that his services will not be forgotten for years to come.
Yıldırım stated that the rapprochement between the Turkish states started after the collapse of the Soviet Union and gained an institutional structure with the Nakhchivan Agreement signed in 2009, and pointed out that the organization has come a long way in the past 17 years.
Pointing out that the Turkish world has now entered a new phase, Yıldırım said, "At this point, the Turkish states have left the institutionalization period behind and entered the integration period. The integration period has been determined by the 2040 Turkic World vision." he said.
Yıldırım pointed out that the Turkish world has a population of approximately 180 million and an economic size of approximately 2.5 trillion dollars, and said, "The Turkish world has an important feature that does not exist in other geographies. Unite that Eurasian geography with Anatolia." he said.
Emphasizing that the cooperation between Turkish states does not aim to pose a threat to any country, Yıldırım said, "The aim of the Turkish world is not to disturb others, the aim of the Turkish world is to contribute to regional and global peace and to make the world in uncertainty more predictable. We are working with all our strength for this." he said.
Yıldırım stated that within the scope of the 2040 Turkish World Vision, the focus is on increasing the interaction especially among young people, and emphasized that the energy of the young population is of great importance for the future of the Turkish world.
Sultan Raev, Secretary General of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), presented TDT Secretary General Ömuraliyev with the TURKSOY Medal of Honor, the highest decoration of TURKSOY, for his outstanding contributions to the culture, art and unity and solidarity of the Turkic world during his term of office.
