The ceremony brought together key figures from the Turkic world, including President of the Turkic Academy Shahin Mustafayev, Chairman of the OTS Council of Elders Binali Yıldırım, Turkish Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, Deputy Minister of Trade Özgür Volkan Ağar, Hungarian OTS Council of Elders member Attila Tilki, TURKSOY Secretary-General Sultan Raev, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova, Chairperson of the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language and History Derya Örs, Chairperson of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO Öcal Oğuz, President of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Muzaffer Şeker, Deputy Secretary-General of OTS Merey Mukazhan, Deputy Secretary-General of TURKPA Saky Sadykov, and other diplomats and representatives of the academic community from Turkic states.
The program included a presentation of key scientific works and monographs published by the Academy over the past 15 years, alongside a photo exhibition and documentary highlighting its activities and achievements.
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Shahin Mustafayev emphasized the symbolic significance of the Academy’s 15-year journey and acknowledged the contributions of former Academy leaders, Professors Shakir Ibraev and Darkhan Kydyrali.
“The Academy has become a regional scientific hub, bringing together research in history, language, literature, archaeology, ethnology, linguistics, the arts, and socio-economic studies,” Mustafayev said.
He outlined the main milestones in the Academy’s development, including the creation of the Unified Turkic Alphabet. Coordinated by the Turkic Academy and the OTS Council of Elders, the 34-letter Latin-based alphabet, approved in 2024, incorporates the main phonetic features of Turkic languages.
Special attention was given to archaeological research, from the discovery of the Göktürk complex in Mongolia to unique findings in Jankent and Mangystau, shedding new light on the shared historical heritage of Turkic peoples. Mustafayev also highlighted the Academy’s role in strengthening scientific networks, including the Union of National Academies of Sciences of the Turkic World, the Commission on the Common Turkic Alphabet, ERCNET - the network of economic research centers, and ARICA - the union of Turkic archaeology institutes).
He underscored the significance of the “History of Turkic States” project, carried out under the mandate of OTS heads of state, in which historians from member and observer countries collaborate to produce a unified scholarly work on Turkic history.
The Academy’s cultural heritage projects were also highlighted, including the Sacred Geography of the Turkic World, the Türk Bitig inscriptions catalog, studies of Mangystau mausoleums, Batken petroglyphs, the series Outstanding Personalities of the Turkic World, and specialized terminological dictionaries. Mustafayev noted that the Academy publishes dozens of scientific works each year and continues to develop its peer-reviewed platform, the Bulletin of the Turkic Academy.
Concluding his address, Mustafayev said the Academy will continue to expand scientific cooperation, develop international projects, and strengthen a unified scientific space across Turkic countries.
Guests congratulated the Academy on its 15th anniversary, highlighting its role in knowledge exchange, collaborative research, and the development of a shared intellectual space for Turkic peoples.
During the event, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Turkic Academy and Binali Yıldırım University, formalizing future collaboration in scientific and educational fields.
The ceremony concluded with a musical program featuring works from the musical traditions of Turkic countries.
