The President’s initiative – in action

As previously reported, on March 16, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the extraordinary summit of the Organization of Turkic States, in Ankara.

On the eve of the visit of the Head of state, UzA Correspondent interviewed Associate Professor of Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Doctor of Philology Khairulla KHAMIDOV, who translated the works of Said Ahmad into Turkish and published in Ankara.

– The Head of our state, in his speech at the summit of the Organization of Turkic States on October 15, 2019, held in Azerbaijan’s Baku, put forward an initiative to publish in the Uzbek language a 100-volume collection of “Pearls of Turkic Literature”, which included the best examples of the literature of the member states and observers of the organization. The first series of the 100-volume edition was published on the eve of the First Summit of the Organization of Turkic States, which took place on November 10-11, 2022, in Samarkand.

The multi-volume collection includes the best works of 629 famous poets, prose writers and thinkers of the 11th-21st centuries – representatives of Uzbek, Karakalpak, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Hungarian literature.

The first five volumes entitled “Samples of Common Turkic Literature” include the classic works of Mahmud Kashgari, Yusuf Khos Khodjib, Ahmad Yugnaki, Ahmad Yassavi, Sulaymon Bakirgoni, Nasiruddin Rabguzi – the great enlighteners who first scientifically studied the Turkic language. The next 28 volumes included masterpieces of Uzbek literature from Alisher Navoi to contemporary authors. This major literary project, unprecedented not only for Central Asia, but for the entire Turkic-speaking world, is an invaluable treasure demonstrating the attention paid in our country to the culture and art of the Uzbek and fraternal peoples.

The series was published by “Uzbekistan” publishing house. More than 200 translators, hundreds of literary scholars, writers and editors took part in its preparation.

Uzbekistan is a country located in the very center of Central Asia, leading in many areas. The publication of such a 100-volume book for the first time in our country was also a great achievement. I think this will further strengthen the existing literary ties with the Turkic-speaking countries.

“Pearls of Turkic Literature” is the first step in the implementation of the “Turkic World Vision – 2040” concept and the five-year strategy of the Organization of Turkic States. It is aimed at further strengthening the prestige of the structure, which has a huge region with a population of more than 170 million people, raising cooperation between fraternal peoples and countries to the highest level.

Interviewed by Bekhruz Khudoyberdiyev, UzA