Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries TurkPA : Beyond Parliamentary Diplomacy

Year 2017, Volume: 22 Issue: 1, 115 - 142, 01.04.2017

Ercan Durdular

Abstract

TurkPA, as an example of an international parliamentary institution IPI , constitutes a forum for parliamentary diplomacy and serves as the parliamentary dimension of the cooperation and integration of Turkic countries in Eurasia. IPIs provide new channels for the exchange of views and sharing of experiences, namely through parliamentary diplomacy. The common goal of those institutions and parliamentary diplomacy is to use debate, dialogue and personal contacts to enable parliamentarians in different countries to better understand each other, help one another, and therefore provide an alternative channel to facilitate intraregional communication. This is why these institutions also carry a symbolic importance. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Turkic states in the region showed their dedication to acting together in a coordinated way by establishing the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking States TurkPA . Today, TurkPA provides oversight to regional problems, harmonises laws and policies towards regional integration, and makes recommendations for legislation, democratic institutions, election observation missions, and good governance, among other functions

Keywords

TurkPA, Inter-Parliamentary Institutions IPIs , Parliamentary Diplomacy, Regional Parliaments, Role of Parliaments in IR.

References

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• Ibid. According to Article 6 of the Statute Of The Secretariat of Parliamentary Assembly Of Turkic-Speaking Countries; the Ratio of the contributions of the member countries are Azerbaijan 2/15, Kazakhstan 4/15, Kyrgyzstan 1/15, and Turkey 8/15 consecutively.
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• Members: Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
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• Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.