Astana Hosts the Fifth Summit of the Turkic Council

On 11th September 2015 Astana hosted the Fifth Summit of the Turkic Council. This was the second summit held in Kazakhstan and the fifth anniversary of the Summit.

The Summit of the Turkic Council is a unique event that brings together countries with a long history, which have common Turkic roots. The main purpose of the event is the development of comprehensive cooperation between Member States. The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States was established with the signing of the Nakhchivan Agreement of 3rd October 2009, and the first summit was held on 20th – 21st October 2011 in Almaty.

The Fifth Summit was attended by the heads of states Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan), Almazbek Atambayev (Kyrgyzstan) and by the head of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Ismet Yilmaz. The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Sapardurdy Toylyev also participated as a guest host.

The summit was also attended by the General Secretaries of the Turkic Council, TURKPA, TURKSOY and by the presidents of the International Turkic Academy and the Foundation of Turkic culture and heritage.

During the summit, chairmanship was handed over from Turkey to Kazakhstan.

The heads of member states have approved the report of the Secretary-General of the Turkic Council about its activity in the past year. There was also an agreement signed for the emplacement of the Deputy Secretary General of Turkic Council and President of the Turkish culture and heritage.

The heads of delegations have resumed the activities of the past period and set up perspectives and ways of future development for further strengthening cooperation in economic, cultural, educational, scientific, touristic and information fields. Much attention was paid to the issue of further institutional strengthening of the Turkic world and its role in regional and international security.

The conference, devoted to the 550th anniversary of the Kazakh Khanate, was held as a part of the Summit of the Turkic Council. The conference was opened by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in attendance of the Heads of States of the Turkic Council. The opening ceremony was held at the Ak Orda Presidential Palace, where Nursultan Nazarbaev made the welcome speech.

The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev called the Fifth Summit of the Turkic Council “an important step towards the integration of the Turkic world”. The Head of State stressed the need to accelerate the adoption of the concept of integration of the Turkic world as proposed by the Turkic Academy.

The President of Kazakhstan noted that obtaining future observer status at the UN and OIC by the Turkic Council will greatly help to meet the common interests of member states.

The participants of the summit came to a decision that the Sixth Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states will be held in 2016 in Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan) and will be devoted to the subject of “National Sport”.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRAVEL TO KAZAKHSTAN

OCA #21  SPRING 2015  WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM Text by Andrew Glenister

Before visiting Kazakhstan, the country had never really been on my radar. I knew where it was, and a little of its history, but I had never considered it as a holiday destination. I definitely do now. And I would recommend that anyone with an interest in a more adventurous type of holiday consider it too.

Though my time there was short, eight days in all, it was big on experiences. Bearing in mind my adventure was primarily limited to southern Kazakhstan and the Caspian coast, here, in no particular order, are my top five reasons to visit Kazakhstan.

CHARYN CANYON
Charyn Canyon is a few hours east of Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, and can easily be visited on a day trip. Part of the Charyn National Park, it was easily the most ‘touristy’ part of my adventure, with signposts guiding you down to the base of the canyon. Do not let this deter you though, as the surroundings are magnificent. In the layering of the canyon walls you can see how this land was built over tens of thousands of years, and in the fast flowing Charyn River at the bottom how it was all carved away.

THE MAUSOLEUM OF KHOJA AHMED YASSAWI
Kazakhstan has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of them is the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassawi in the city of Turkestan. It is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever had the pleasure of visiting, easily the equal of more famous religious landmarks such as St Pauls Cathedral in London or the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, despite the fact that it remains incomplete more than 500 years after building began.

BAIKONUR COSMODROME
When most people think of watching rocket launches they think of the Kennedy Space Centre; it is, after all, where the first men on the moon launched from aboard Apollo 11. But it is worth remembering that the first man-made object in space, the first man in space, and the first woman in space all departed from Baikonur Cosmodrome. That alone makes it worth a visit. But if you want to see something truly special, and make your friends jealous in the process, try visiting during one of the regular rocket launches.
A Soyuz rocket ready for take-off

THE RUINS OF SAURAN
Sauran. Not Sauron. There be no Hobbits here. But there are extraordinary panoramic views of the Kazakh steppe. An old fortress city of the Silk Route, it is now a collection of partially excavated walls offering a fantastic, tourist-free, view of the how the eastern and western worlds traded and communicated nearly a millennia ago.

THE AK-MECHET CAVE
A hidden treasure. Those three words best sum up this otherworldly cave. It is so hidden that, at last check, two of the top four search results on Google are my blog. It is probably for the best that it remains hidden, lest the calm, tranquil, and spiritual feeling be spoilt. From the dripping of water from the roof of the cave, to the assortment of birds and bats twittering, and the extreme calm that comes from being out of winds way, Ak-Mechet Cave is an experience like no other.

ADOPTING THE KAZAKH WAY OF LIFE

OCA #21  SPRING 2015  WWW.OCAMAGAZINE.COM

Different people are drawn to Central Asia for different reasons. Indeed many come by accident, knowing little of what awaits them or how life changing it could be.

Once such person is Gareth Stamp who came to Kazakhstan five years ago for what he describes as his ‘daily adventure’.

‘I remember seeing a small advertisement in a newspaper in Great Britain asking for teachers to come to Kazakhstan and help develop the education system. So I applied and was successful, but I have to admit that I did not even know where Kazakhstan was or what would greet me. I now feel very ashamed that this wonderful country and its amazing people were not even on my geographical radar.’
Five years later, Gareth has become a well-known figure in Astana, networking and sharing his experiences with the quickly expanding international community. He is the president of the newly formed Rotary Club of Astana. Rotary is an international organisation with over two million members worldwide. It is the largest NGO and brings likeminded people together to do humanitarian projects, both in their local community and internationally. In Astana they are already fundraising for a number of projects involving disabled children, orphanages and other disadvantaged groups. The Astana club has grown quickly, having twenty five members from different professions and backgrounds.

‘Rotary has become a big part of my life and I am very proud to have been elected as the first president in Astana. Although we are not the first club in Kazakhstan we are the biggest already and aim to carry on the good name of Rotary here in Central Asia. It is not just about the projects it is also about the fellowship and it has become a great social gathering too. Real friendships are made and we have a common goal to keep us together like a family’

Gareth’s original role at the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools involved helping to write the new curriculum for Kazakhstan, train teachers and develop a new education model for the country. He has since moved to Haileybury Astana, the British School, as their Director of External communications, using his contacts and management skills to help market a fast growing educational institution.

‘Kazakhstan and Astana in particular is now my home. I love the people and opportunities that are here. Every day is an adventure.’

‘One of the biggest issues here is the scale of the country. There is so much to see but travel takes longer than you would expect. Rather than get on a plane I allow a little extra time and take a train. It is amazing the new friends that you meet stories you share and barriers that you break down. My Russian and Kazakh are limited but once people find out there is a foreigner on the train communication happens. I often wondered how ancient explorers like Marco polo broke down the language barriers and now I know. People are naturally curious and Kazakh’s are naturally generous. This linked to a pride in their country and culture makes me richer with every journey I take.’

Gareth records most of his experiences through his photography, drawings and in a diary, sharing his new life with his friends in the west through social media. He has also had exhibitions of his work in Astana. He has become part of the growing Art and Design scene in the capital and was recently presented with an award for services for the development of design in Kazakhstan.
The world for Gareth is very different but his story is not unique. As Kazakhstan develops its International status so more travellers come to see it for themselves, to do business and increasingly as tourists. With future events, such as Expo 2017, the country is revealing more of its natural and manmade attractions that put Kazakhstan on the map.