Azerbaijan's Shusha declared cultural capital of Turkic world for 2023
Shusha city is known for its rich historical and cultural heritage and was occupied by Armenian forces for nearly three decades before Baku fought and reclaimed the area in 2020.
Azerbaijan and Türkiye declared to rebuild and revitalise Shusha city after a war with Armenia in 2020.
The International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) has declared the Azerbaijani city of Shusha as the cultural capital of the Turkic world for 2023.
Thursday's decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of TURKSOY in Türkiye's northwestern Bursa city, which is the cultural capital of the Turkic world for the current year.
Shusha, known for its rich historical and cultural heritage, was chosen as next year's cultural capital on the recommendation of Azerbaijan's Culture Ministry and with the approval of the members of the TURKSOY Permanent Council.
The city was declared Azerbaijan's cultural capital last year, months after it was liberated from nearly three decades of Armenian occupation.
During the meeting, Kyrgyzstan's candidate Sultanbai Raev was unanimously elected as the secretary general of TURKSOY for 2022-2025.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry thanked outgoing secretary general Dusen Kaseinov "for his contributions and extraordinary services to the solidarity of the Turkic World" and wished success to Raev for his tenure.
READ MORE: Occupied Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan retakes Shusha from Armenian forces
Shusha Declaration
After Baku gained back its Armenian-occupied territories, Türkiye and Azerbaijan declared the "Susha Declaration", a pact that focuses on defence cooperation and establishing new transportation routes.
The pact ensures assistance to each country in case of threats from other states, and that joint meetings are frequently held on security issues.
It also helped in expanding joint efforts against terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
Türkiye was a key backer of Azerbaijan during the conflict, which erupted in September 2020 and ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire after six weeks of fighting and some 6,000 deaths.
The truce saw Armenia cede territories it had occupied for decades, including Shusha, which both Armenians and Azerbaijanis claim as a cradle of their culture.
READ MORE: Shusha and Lacin: The two towns shaping the Armenia-Azerbaijani conflict
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