Turkic states have adopted the “Gaziantep Declaration,” a joint commitment aimed at strengthening international cooperation against the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
The agreement was reached following the “Strategic Cooperation Conference and Technical Workshop on Turkic Cultural Heritage,” held April 27-30 in Gaziantep. The event was organized through collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, the Turkish Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Turkish Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Institute and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), with contributions from the Şahinbey and Şehitkamil municipalities.
Delegations from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan participated in the workshop. Observers included Hungary and Turkmenistan, along with representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The resulting declaration emphasizes that combating cultural property trafficking requires stronger coordination, information sharing and capacity building among participating states. It also calls for expanded international cooperation to better protect shared cultural heritage.
Officials stressed that illicit trafficking in cultural property is a transnational crime that threatens not only national interests but also collective historical memory.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Zeynep Boz, head of the Ministry’s Anti-Smuggling Department, said such initiatives strengthen international partnerships and underscore the importance of joint action among Turkic states.
Boz noted that cultural property trafficking is a cross-border crime that cannot be effectively addressed by any single country alone. She added that Türkiye also continues cooperation efforts with countries in Europe and the Balkans to combat illicit trafficking and expand the exchange of expertise and information.
