On June 29, 2026, the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Professor Aktoty Raimkulova, participated in the official opening ceremony of the Turkic World Week, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress, held at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku.
The Week is being held in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, dated October 22, 2025, “On the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the First Turkological Congress”. Furthermore, the organization of a series of events marking this historic anniversary was unanimously endorsed by the Heads of State of the Turkic countries during the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States, held on October 7, 2025 in Gabala, Republic of Azerbaijan.
During the opening ceremony, official messages from the Heads of State of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan were delivered to the participants of the Turkic World Week dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Turkological Congress.
Welcoming remarks were also delivered by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Adil Karimli, the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, Mr. Kubanychbek Omuraliev, and the Deputy Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Academician Rafael Huseynov. In their speeches, they highlighted the historic role of the First Turkological Congress in advancing the scientific and cultural integration of the Turkic World.
The opening ceremony concluded with a concert programme.
The Turkic World Week, which will continue until 3 July, is organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, and the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the partnership of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, the Organization of Turkic States, TURKSOY, Baku State University, and the Turkic Academy.
As part of the Turkic World Week, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation will also organize and co-organize a number of significant scientific and cultural events.
On 30 June, at the initiative of the Foundation, the presentation of the book “The First Turkological Congress”, published in Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Russian, will take place.
On 2 July, the Foundation, in cooperation with the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan, will open the exhibition “Baku 1926: Language, Thought, Unity.” On the same day, in cooperation with the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, the Foundation will officially inaugurate the 8th International Scientific Symposium, entitled “From a Common Turkic Past to a Common Turkic Future,” to be held at the Shusha Hall of the Central Scientific Library of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.
These events will once again demonstrate the Foundation’s consistent commitment to studying, preserving and promoting the shared scientific heritage of the Turkic peoples, ensuring its transmission to future generations, and further strengthening scientific and cultural cooperation throughout the Turkic World.
