Aze.Media
Who we are
Donate
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
  • News
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Ecology
  • Culture
  • Diaspora
  • Interview
  • Science
  • Logistics-Transport
  • Gender
  • History
  • Defense
  • Karabakh
  • Home page
  • Culture
  • Defense
  • Diaspora
  • Gender
  • History
  • Interview
  • Karabakh
  • Logistics-Transport
  • News
    • Ecology
    • Economy
    • Energy
  • Opinion
  • Science
No Result
View All Result
Aze.Media
Home Opinion

Xinjiang issues not on the agenda of Turkic Council’s online summit

Member nations discuss cooperation on trade and fighting Covid-19 but avoid talking about Chinese region that has been the focus of international headlines in recent weeks. Countries share China’s views on fighting terrorism in Central Asia, experts say.

Author: AzeMedia
April 2, 2021
in Opinion
Reading Time: 2 mins read
cae42b9b-ab22-416a-8eb8-e704d79fb902_aca558d7

A demonstrator wearing a mask painted with the colours of the flag of East Turkestan takes part in a protest in Istanbul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

It may have been the subject of news headlines around the world in recent weeks, but Xinjiang was not on the agenda for an informal meeting of the Turkic Council on Wednesday.

The Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States, as the group is officially known, consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

Opening the meeting, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the council’s goal was to “transform the Turkic world into one of the most important economic, cultural and humanitarian regions of the twenty-first century”.

He also called for greater cooperation on trade and education, and for member states to share their experiences of fighting Covid-19.

While the summit did not mention China, Zhang Ning, an expert on Central Asia studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said the Turkic states were keen to boost economic cooperation with China in the fields of energy, transport and investment funds.

“Kyrgyzstan clearly proposed [at the meeting] to support the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Ukraine railway,” he said.

Yin Gang, a research fellow with the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the CASS, said Turkic Council member nations also shared Beijing’s views on fighting terrorism in the region.

“Turkic states support China’s anti-terrorism efforts and attach importance to political and economic relations with China … [so] it is not surprising that they did not mention the issues regarding Xinjiang,” he said.

“The more determined China is to fight terrorism, the better it will be for the national security of Central Asia.”

The Turkic states had also sought a balanced approach with Moscow and Beijing, especially with regards to economic cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, he said. The infrastructure development plan, championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has helped China to expand its economic and political presence in Central Asia.

China is Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner, and the second-largest for Uzbekistan and  Kyrgyzstan. Turkey is a strong supporter of the belt and road plan.

“Turkey tends not to offend China although they once wanted to be the protectors of Xinjiang Uygurs,” Yin said.

Turkey was once a vocal supporter of China’s Uygurs but has shifted its position in recent years.

During the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Turkey, he sought to win support for Beijing’s policies on Xinjiang, as hundreds of Uygurs protested on the streets of Ankara.

According to a press release by China’s foreign ministry, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey resolutely opposed all forms of terrorism.

Kemal Kirisci, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said the Turkish government hoped that investments, trade and credits with China could help salvage its economy, and had bought Covid-19 vaccines from China, creating an additional dependence.

Li Sheng, an expert on Xinjiang at the CASS said the Turkic states had historical links to Xinjiang so they understood the issues in the region and Beijing’s policies on it.

“It is a good thing [that they didn’t mention Xinjiang] … as they understand Xinjiang’s problems, understand the history of the Turkic language family and what happened there,” he said.

“There are commonalities, including the development and stability problems faced, including anti-separatism and the danger of extreme religion. Separatist activities are also a danger to them.”

Amber Wang

South China Morning Post 

Share6Tweet4SendShare

Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now.

Unsubscribe

Related Posts

The-leaders-of-Armenia-and-Azerbaijan-meet-with-EU-President-Charles-Michel-in-Brussels-on-May-22.-president.az_
Opinion

EU mediates conflict in South Caucasus, long part of Russia’s geopolitical orbit

June 24, 2022
56-3
Opinion

Baku’s “East Caspian” strategy: The unseen side of Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Uzbekistan

June 22, 2022
Bildschirmfoto 2022-06-21 um 08.49.18
Opinion

Full throttle: Australia’s advantages alongside Azerbaijan

June 21, 2022
Armenian Opposition Rally
Opinion

The Fall of the Tent Empire – Where has the Armenian “revolution” gone?

June 20, 2022
21_162_image1
Opinion

Israel, Armenia and Presbyterians

June 18, 2022
77210d7f-507c-3931-9d21-d973689de7c3
Opinion

Sneaky and bellicose Armenians – In the wake of an attack in Paris

June 17, 2022
fe93b66b-64f0-307c-858e-1fe58273e720_850
Opinion

Baku between Davos and Munich: Our contribution to global security

June 17, 2022
0bebc3c92cf85310d8ceefec2038efda
Energy

Investment triumph on the banks of the Thames: Baku and London stake on “green” energy

June 17, 2022

New articles

Energy

DEWA, Azerbaijan discuss bilateral relations in energy sector, business opportunities

June 25, 2022
Opinion

EU mediates conflict in South Caucasus, long part of Russia’s geopolitical orbit

June 24, 2022
Covid-19

EU-funded Solidarity for Health Initiative presents its results

June 24, 2022
Economy

Black Sea Trade and Development Bank announces net profit of 43.9 million Euro for 2021

June 24, 2022
Gender

Women in diplomacy: a centuries-old practice in Azerbaijan

June 24, 2022
News

Russian FM: OSCE Minsk Group ceased operations

June 24, 2022
Energy

BP paid the Azeri government $10.59bn in production entitlements and other fees last year.

June 24, 2022
News

Peace agreement proposal left unanswered by Armenia: Aliyev

June 24, 2022
News

Lavrov offers Azerbaijan to relaunch bilateral cooperation formats suspended during coronavirus pandemic

June 24, 2022
Science

Lotfi Zadeh – a man that changed the world: Azerbaijani roots of revolutionary “fuzzy logic”

June 24, 2022
c24a7d34-02d2-45a2-95ad-980aa8264ad5
426082d1-a9e4-4ac5-95d4-4e84024eb314
ab65ed96-2f4a-4220-91ac-f70a6daaf659
96e40a2b-5fed-4332-83c6-60e4a89fd4d0
759bde00-a375-4fa1-bedc-f8e9580ceeca
aze-media-logo-ag

Aze.Media offers an independent and strategic insight on socio-cultural, political and economic life in Azerbaijan. We are thinkers of diverse disciplines spread across countries working together as one team to provide international audiences with an alternative point of view on Azerbaijani and foreign realities.

Email: editor@aze.media


© 2021 Aze Media International Platform for Alternative Thought.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Economy
  • Ecology
  • Energy
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Gender
  • Interview
  • Science
  • Logistics-Transport
  • History
  • Defense
  • Karabakh
  • Diaspora
  • Who we are

© 2021 Aze Media International Platform for Alternative Thought.