Historical background to the document "Speech of the Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev at the VIII meeting of ‎TURKSOY International Organization held in Baku (The State Theatre of Song ‎named after Rashid Behbudov, November 6, 1996‎)"

The TURKSOY International Organization was founded as a result of an agreement reached in Istanbul and Baku negotiations of the ministers of culture of - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan in 1992. The treaty on the establishment and the work principles of TURKSOY was signed by the above-mentioned countries on July 12, 1993 in Almaty, former capital of Kazakhstan. The organization plays a crucial role in the regional cultural integration.

On November 6, 1996, the 8th session of TURKSOY took place in Baku. In his speech at the summit, Heydar Aliyev highly appreciated the activities of TURKSOY in previous years and the signature of an agreement on a mutual cooperation with UNESCO in Istanbul that year. The session was attended also by the delegations from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia.

“90 Instants of the Great leader”, Heydar Aliyev Heritage research center, “Sharq-Qarb”, Baku-2013, p.85