Address by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States

Your Excellency, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan!

Distinguished Heads of State and Delegations!

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is a great pleasure to meet with you, dear friends, in the beautiful city of Ankara, located at the crossroads of great civilizations.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to my dear brother, His Excellency Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the entire Turkish people on the country's national holiday – Republic Day.

I wish the brotherly Turkish people peace, well-being, prosperity and continued success.

I express my special gratitude to the esteemed President of Türkiye for excellent organization of our Summit, held under the motto “Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Action”, and for warm hospitality extended to us.

The inauguration, on the eve of the Summit, of the national and cultural complex of our states in the picturesque Beştepe Park marked an important step towards preserving the shared heritage of our Turkic peoples.

I am confident that this magnificent complex will become a powerful symbol of the unity of the Turkic world.

Distinguished Participants of the Summit!

Today, the international system is undergoing profound transformations, and geopolitical competition is intensifying. The ongoing armed conflicts and tensions in the regions surrounding the Turkic world are adversely affecting not only security but also trade, economic and transport links, as well as prospects for development.

We regard the Organization of Turkic States, which brings together countries with abundant natural resources and considerable economic potential and is emerging as an influential center of global development, as a platform for mutual trust and practical partnership.

We must further strengthen our unity around our strategic objectives and jointly advance our interests on the international stage. We stand united in pursuing this noble cause and are ready to mobilize our efforts in the spirit of Turkic solidarity.

Dear Friends!

We consider it important to hold regular political consultations within our Organization on pressing international and regional issues and to coordinate our approaches and efforts.

The standing and prestige of the Organization in the international arena also depend on its ability to develop open and mutually beneficial relations with external partners. To this end, I propose launching cooperation with third countries under the “Organization of Turkic States Plus” format, beginning with meetings of sectoral ministers. These meetings should focus on implementing concrete joint projects in trade, transport, investment and other priority areas.

At the same time, we need to deepen technological cooperation and strengthen industrial coelaboration that will enable us to enter global markets together.

As a practical step, we propose adopting the “Turkic World – 100” Programme, encompassing one hundred strategic joint investment and industrial projects. Of particular importance is allocating the resources from the Turkic Investment Fund and international financial institutions towards the implementation of these projects.

Priority should be given to the full processing of rare and strategic minerals, the localization of production of equipment for green energy, and the manufacture of high-value added products.

The dynamic development of our economic ties is creating a need for common mechanisms to protect the rights and interests of entrepreneurs. To this end, it is necessary to develop a multilateral Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Commercial Matters. This document will establish a solid legal basis for the mutual recognition and enforcement of judicial decisions.

We also support expanding contacts between the relevant competent authorities. In this regard, we consider it important to establish a digital platform for the electronic exchange of requests for legal assistance and documents.

In the current circumstances of changing global supply chains, the geographical location and transit potential of the Turkic states are acquiring ever greater strategic importance. In order to expand the participation of OTS member states in international freight transportation and logistics, and enhance the economic benefits from these activities we need to transform the Middle Corridor and other connected transport corridors into an integrated economic system. We propose establishing a network of logistics hubs across the Turkic states and ensuring their joint management.

We must also fully harness the enormous potential of the tourism. In 2025 alone, our countries welcomed more than 100 million foreign tourists.

The time has come to establish a “Turkic Tourism Alliance” to jointly showcase to the world the historic cities, unique natural landscapes, rich culture and traditions of hospitality of the Turkic peoples.

To bring distant places closer and make life easier for our citizens, we propose developing a multilateral Agreement on Mutual Travel of Citizens. It should provide for expanded opportunities for travel using national identity cards, simplified border-crossing procedures and easier conditions of stay in host countries.

Human capital, particularly the younger generation equipped with modern knowledge and skills is the foundation of technological progress. Investing in their education provides a solid foundation for our long-term cooperation.

Under the “New Uzbekistan Scholarship” program established in our country, 500 foreign students are being offered opportunities to study on fully funded scholarships. We are ready to allocate 200 educational grants annually to representatives of the Turkic states. We encourage young people from our brotherly countries to make full use of this opportunity.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my special gratitude for your support of our initiative to declare 2027 the Year of Nature Protection within the Organization.

I believe that the priority tasks to be undertaken over the coming year will be discussed at a meeting of our ministers responsible for environmental affairs on the sidelines of the COP31 Conference in Antalya.

Dear Friends,

As you are aware, in order to duly recognize individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to strengthening the unity of the Turkic world, we established the International Alisher Navoi Prize, named after the great thinker and statesman.

Undoubtedly, yesterday’s presentation of this prestigious award to Ambassador Dusen Kasseinov, Honored Art Worker of Kazakhstan, will serve as a new source of inspiration and motivation for our young people pursuing creative endeavours in science, art and literature.

The great Alisher Navoi, who devoted his entire life to the development of the Turkic language, emphasized: “He who fails to cherish his native language fails to honour his own people”. In keeping with the motto of today’s Summit, I propose compiling a “Dictionary of Common Turkic Words”, bringing together words shared by our languages that are readily understood by all Turkic peoples.

Distinguished Participants of the Summit!

I would like to once again extend my heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Japarov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, on being awarded our Organization’s prestigious distinction, the Supreme Order of the Turkic World, yesterday.

I also express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev for Azerbaijan’s significant efforts during its chairmanship of our Organization to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood among our nations and elevate our cooperation to a new level.

I am confident that Türkiye, as it assumes the chairmanship of the Organization of Turkic States today, will make an important contribution to deepening our economic cooperation and translating new initiatives into tangible results.

I wish His Excellency Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Türkiye, every success in fulfilling this honorable mission.

I would also like to reaffirm our readiness to host the next Summit of our Organization in Uzbekistan next year.

I would also like to address another item on our agenda. The unity of our member states, as well as the efficient work of the Secretariat, is particularly important in implementing the ambitious tasks before us.

I wish to express my gratitude to Kubanychbek Omuraliev for his dedicated and productive service as Secretary General and his valuable contribution to enhancing the standing and prestige of our Organization in every respect.

At the same time, I would like to thank all of you for your support for the candidacy of Mirvokhid Azimov, the representative of Uzbekistan, for the position of Secretary General.

I am confident that the new Secretary General will make a valuable contribution to advancing the Organization’s priorities and further strengthening our cooperation.

Distinguished Colleagues!

I am confident that today's Ankara Summit will mark an important step towards achieving our noble goal, giving practical expression to the idea of solidarity and bringing our ambitious plans to fruition.

After all, we are united by our common hopes, aspirations and goals.

United, we are even stronger.

Standing together, we will certainly achieve even greater heights.