The International Turkic Academy has held a symposium on the Silk Road at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The event attended by the High Representatives of the UN, Permanent Representatives of various countries to the UN, Ambassadors, top executives of international organizations, and distinguished scholars and intellectuals.

President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva delivered a speech at the event. She said representatives of various confessions lived in peace and in stability in Azerbaijan over the centuries. The president also highlighted the successful reforms carried out under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.

This prestigious and unique event is jointly organized with various Permanent Missions to the UN, international organizations of the Turkic Council and supported by TURKSOY, Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Michigan State University, and Hazar Strategy Institute.

The symposium discussed specific aspects of the ancient and modern Silk Road. Speakers and discussants focused on ways of enhancing global peace and security on the Silk Road and beyond, reaching UN sustainable development goals through endorsing the Silk Road. The emphasis also was on the global threats of epidemics, transnational crime, violent extremism, terrorism, the forced displacement of people and natural disasters. In a globalized world, the Silk Road and its multidimensional influences have global ramifications and so the Symposium was of great relevance for the entire UN community.