Your Excellencies, distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honor for me to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Forum of Turkic World Cultures, taking place today in the ancient and magnificent city of Khiva, one of Central Asia's most remarkable open-air museums and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Khiva, once the capital of the Khorezm Khanate, is a living testimony to the cultural and architectural grandeur of the Turkic world. Today, its ancient walls once again bear witness to the enduring traditions of our peoples.

On behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), I sincerely thank the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan for inviting me to this prestigious event and for its excellent organization.

This festival is not just a celebration of performance art; it is a solemn affirmation of the living heritage of the art of baxshi, revered throughout the Turkic world as a guardian of memory, wisdom, and identity.
Baxshi is not only a form of art but also a philosophy, an embodiment of eternal moral narratives conveyed through epic storytelling, poetry, and musical mastery.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The revival and development of the baxshi tradition through this festival is a historic step towards preserving our cultural heritage.
The inclusion of the art of baxshi in UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2019 is evidence of its civilizational value recognized worldwide.

The International Festival of Baxshi Art, first organized in 2019, has become an important event that promotes cultural exchange and celebrates the ancient traditions of baxshi.
The growing number of participants each year and its increasing international recognition show the global interest in preserving and promoting this unique form of art.

Dear participants,
The baxshi is a living embodiment of the epic tradition. From the valleys of Anatolia to the steppes of Kazakhstan, from the Manas reciters of Kyrgyzstan to the ozan and ashiq bards of Azerbaijan, the voice of the baxshi echoes in diverse dialects while carrying a shared moral compass.

In this spirit, the International Festival of Baxshi Art is not merely a stage for performances but holds profound significance. It serves as a dynamic forum for dialogue between scholars and storytellers, generations and geographies.

Dear friends,
The great thinker Alisher Navoi, in his work "Muhokamat ul-Lug‘atayn", beautifully describes that throughout life, a person constantly needs words, and that social consciousness and social existence are unimaginable without language. He writes:

"Language is the blooming tulip of this garden,
The words are the dewdrops adorning it.
Words breathe pure spirit into a dead body,
Yet from words, the living soul may also perish."

In other words, if language is the blooming tulip of the garden, then words are the dewdrops resting upon it. Words can breathe pure spirit into a lifeless body, and conversely, the wrong words can cause the living soul to perish.

I am confident that this esteemed event will greatly contribute to the promotion, preservation, and creative development of the national art of baxshi, as well as to the expansion of international artistic cooperation, the strengthening of the bonds of friendship between peoples, and the reinforcement of the cultural and spiritual unity of the Turkic world.

As I conclude my speech, I would like to sincerely thank the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and all those who contributed to the successful organization of this festival.

As the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, we remain steadfast in our commitment to preserving and promoting the rich historical, artistic, and spiritual heritage of the Turkic world.
We believe that preserving our cultural traditions is not only a tribute to the wisdom of our ancestors but also a sacred duty to future generations.
By celebrating such timeless values, we strengthen the unity of our peoples and reaffirm the enduring vitality of our civilization.

May the sacred songs of the baxshi resound in Khiva and beyond, carrying eternal wisdom from generation to generation and uniting us across borders.

Thank you for your attention!