The TURKPA in full, the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, is an international organization comprising some of the
Turkic countries. It was founded on 21 November 2008 in
Istanbul. The General Secretariat is in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
,
Azerbaijan. The member countries are
Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and
Turkey. Since June 2014,
Hungary is an observer.
History
The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) was established on November 21, 2008, according to the Agreement signed by the Heads of parliaments of the
Republic of Azerbaijan,
Republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbekis ...
,
Kyrgyz Republic, and the
Republic of Türkiye
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in S ...
in the «Dolmabakhche Saray» located in Istanbul, Turkey. On September 29, 2009, the first plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) was conducted in the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku city. The TURKPA Regulations, Articles of Secretariat and Baku Declaration, and Statement regarding the permanent accommodation of the Secretariat in Baku city were adopted at the plenary session. The TURKPA Chairmanship annually hands over from one country to another by means of rotation in the English alphabetical order. The TURKPA Secretariat is the authority located in the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku city and has the status of international organization.
Mission and objectives
Since 2010, TURKPA missions observe presidential and parliamentary elections and referendums in its member countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The mission includes members of the parliament of TURKPA member states, as well as representatives of the TURKPA Secretariat. TURKPA observers' mission holds meetings with high-ranked officials of the Central Election Commission and government officials. TURKPA mission monitors voting process at all stages - visits polling stations, estimates the preparation process, has conversation with voters and representatives of the polling station, meets with the officials and representatives of political and public organizations.
The observers follow the objectivity, justness, transparency and impartiality principles confirmed in Code of Conduct for International Observers approved in 2005 by the United Nations Organization, recommendations of Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and other international legal instruments. Observation missions hold press conferences on the conclusions of the elections and referendums.
TURKPA has four permanent commissions:
*Commission on Legal Affairs and International Relations (merged in 2014)
*Commission on Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs
*Commission on Economic Cooperation (renamed from "Economic, Trade and Financial Affairs")
*Commission on Environment, Natural Resources and Health Protection (created in 2014 as Environment and Natural Resources)
Main goals
• Assistance in development of political dialogue between the countries by means of parliamentary diplomacy as the qualitatively new stage of inter-parliamentary cooperation;
• Harmonization of the legislations and strengthening mutual activities with regard to other issues relating to the parliamentary cooperation on the basis of historical, cultural, and language unity.
• Assistance in development of solidity of mutually advantageous and equal cooperation between the Turkic nations and countries of other regions;
• Recommendation on approximation of legislations of the countries, including legislation on preservation and transfer to the future generations of cultural heritage and values of history, art, literature and other areas which are of importance for Turkic states;
• Assistance in development of political, socio-economic, cultural, humanitarian, legal, and other relations among the parties;
The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States selected as its primary goals the principles of independence; sovereignty; territorial and state boundaries integrity; legal equity; mutual respect grounded on the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of each other; strengthening of political and economic security of the countries on the grounds of refrainment from threat or use of force or economic or any other pressure; growth of national prosperity by means of full and rational use of natural resources; endeavour to the new progress in the sphere of parliamentary diplomacy, establishment of new relations and development of the existing ones with parliaments and other international organizations of the countries in the region and all over the world.
Affiliated bodies and organizations

The Organization of Turkic States functions as an umbrella organization for all other cooperation mechanisms like:
*the
Organization of Turkic States
The Organization of Turkic States (OTS), formerly called the Turkic Council or the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, is an international organization comprising prominent independent Turkic countries: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzs ...
''(general secretariat, Istanbul)''
*the
International Organization of Turkic Culture (
TURKSOY
The International Organization of Turkic Culture tr, Uluslararası Türk Kültürü Teşkilatı or TURKSOY is an international cultural organization of countries with Turkic populations, speaking languages belonging to the Turkic language fami ...
) ''(administrative capital, Ankara)''
*International Turkic Academy ''(administrative capital, Nur-Sultan)''
*Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation ''(administrative capital, Baku)''
*Center of Nomadic Civilizations ''(administrative capital, Bishkek)''
*Turkic Business Council ''(administrative capital, İstanbul)''
International cooperation
TURKPA is an observer at the following organizations.
*
Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States
The Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC, PUOICM) is composed of the parliaments of the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It was established in Iran on 17 June 1999, with its head office situated in Te ...
(PUIC)
*
Inter-Parliamentary Union
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an inter-parliamentary institution, international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and coop ...
(IPU)
*
Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments
The Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments is an international association which associates the top civil servants of National Parliaments of over 150 countries in the world. Membership is destined to the secretaries general and clerks ...
(ASGP)
*
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) is a regional international organization focusing on multilateral political and economic initiatives aimed at fostering cooperation, peace, stability and prosperity in the Black Se ...
(PABSEC)
*
(CICA)
*
Asian Parliamentary Assembly
__NOTOC__
The Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) aims to promote peace in general, and in the Asian region in particular. It was established as the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) in September 1999 by Sheikh Hasina, acquiring its ...
(APA)
Members
Current
Observer states
Additionally,
Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States
The Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC, PUOICM) is composed of the parliaments of the member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It was established in Iran on 17 June 1999, with its head office situated in Te ...
(PUIC) and
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) is a regional international organization focusing on multilateral political and economic initiatives aimed at fostering cooperation, peace, stability and prosperity in the Black Se ...
(PABSEC) are observers of TURKPA.
List of Secretaries-Generals and Chairmen of TURKPA
Secretary-General of TURK-PA is elected for four-year terms. Presidency is rotated in every plenary session alphabetically. Chairpersons of National Assemblies becomes
ex officio
An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
chairman of TURKPA.
See also
*
World Turks Qurultai The World Turks Qurultai ( ky, Дүйнөлүк Түрк Курултайы, ''Düýnölük Türk Kurultaýy'', دۉينۅلۉک تۉرک قۇرۇلتاي; kk, Дүниежүзілік Түркі Құрылтайы, ''Du'ni'eju'zilik Tu'rki Qurylta ...
References
External links
Official websiteText of the Istanbul Agreement
{{Turkic topics
International organizations based in Asia
Azerbaijan–Turkey relations
Azerbaijan–Kazakhstan relations
Azerbaijan–Kyrgyzstan relations
Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan relations
Kazakhstan–Turkey relations
Kyrgyzstan–Turkey relations
Organizations based in Baku
Intergovernmental organizations
Post-Soviet alliances
2009 establishments in Azerbaijan
Organizations established in 2009
Political organizations based in Azerbaijan
Organization of Turkic States