Opening of the 8th General Assembly of the Turkic Universities Union (TURKUNIB) convened in Tashkent on 15 October 2025. The opening session featured welcoming remarks by H.E. Hilala Umarova, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan in charge of Educational Reform; H.E. Kongratbay Sharipov, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan; H.E. Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS); and H.E. Shahin Mustafayev, President of the Turkic Academy. The session was moderated by H.E. Iskandar Yuldashev, Executive Director of Tashkent International University (TIU).

In his opening remarks, Secretary General Omuraliev emphasized that education has always been a bridge connecting cultures, and that TURKUNIB and the Orhun Exchange Program represent modern embodiments of the centuries-old tradition of scholarly exchange among Turkic peoples.

He noted that the Union’s membership has reached 109 universities, with 62 additional institutions applying for full membership, reflecting the growing engagement of the Turkic academic community. He underlined that the adoption of the concept paper on establishing a Permanent TURKUNIB Secretariat and Program Fund will mark a turning point toward the institutionalization and sustainability of higher education cooperation among the Turkic States.

Secretary General further highlighted that the Gabala Declaration of the Twelfth OTS Summit endorsed the initiatives on reorganizing the Orhun Exchange Program and establishing a Turkic World Higher Education Area, demonstrating strong political support from the Heads of State. He also announced that the OTS will allocate 1 million US dollars to support the implementation and expansion of the Orhun Exchange Program.