Baku, June 29, AZERTAC
President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov stated that the First Turkological Congress, hosted in Baku in 1926, marked a historical turning point in shaping the intellectual, cultural, and political unity of the Turkic peoples.
Zhaparov’s address delivered at the opening ceremony of the "Turkic World Week" dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress said: “A century ago, the First Turkological Congress held in Baku under the motto ‘Unity in language, thought, and action’ became a landmark historical event that determined the future of the Turkic peoples and laid the foundation for the intellectual revival of the Turkic world. The centenary of the Congress may be evaluated as a significant milestone in the century-long journey of intellectual, cultural, and political integration of the Turkic world.”
The address also emphasized that despite the complex political conditions of the time, the Congress featured extensive discussions on the issues of Turkic languages, terminology, orthography, as well as the transition from the Arabic script to the Latin alphabet. It was noted that the forum was not merely a gathering of scholars, but a historic step taken toward mutual understanding, solidarity, and brotherhood by the Turkic peoples, who had been separated from each other for various political and geographical reasons.
The message further stated that the legacy of the First Turkological Congress still retains its relevance today and serves as an important direction for the development of scientific, cultural, humanitarian, and strategic cooperation among the Turkic peoples.