President Shavkat Mirziyoyev Puts Forward Key Initiatives at OTS Summit

On October 30, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara.

The summit, held under the motto “The Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought, and Action,” was also attended by President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev.

The summit participants discussed the current agenda and prospects for further deepening practical cooperation among the member states.

At the beginning of his address, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude to the President of Türkiye for the high-level organization of the summit in Ankara, a city at the crossroads of great civilizations.

The Leader of Uzbekistan noted that the opening of the national cultural complex of the member states in the picturesque Beştepe Park on the eve of the summit marked an important step toward preserving the common heritage of the Turkic peoples. He expressed confidence that this majestic complex would become a vivid symbol of the unity of the Turkic world.

The President emphasized that the system of international relations is undergoing fundamental changes and geopolitical competition is intensifying. Ongoing armed conflicts and tensions in regions surrounding the Turkic world are affecting prospects for security and development.

In this context, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized the need to promote greater unity within the Organization of Turkic States as a platform for mutual trust and practical partnership.

“We stand united in pursuing this noble cause and are ready to mobilize our efforts in the spirit of Turkic solidarity,” President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The Leader of Uzbekistan put forward a number of key initiatives aimed at taking cooperation among the Turkic states to a new level.

He emphasized the importance of holding regular political consultations within the Organization of Turkic States on pressing international and regional issues and coordinating approaches and efforts. To this end, he proposed launching cooperation with third countries in an “Organization of Turkic States Plus” format, with meetings at the level of sectoral ministers.

“These dialogues should focus on implementing concrete joint projects in trade, transport, investment and other priority areas,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted.

He proposed adopting the “Turkic World – 100” Program, covering one hundred strategic joint investment and industrial projects, including the processing of rare minerals and the localization of equipment production for green energy. In this regard, attracting resources from the Turkic Investment Fund and international financial institutions will be of key importance for the implementation of these projects.

In addition, to protect the interests of entrepreneurs, the President proposed drafting a multilateral treaty “On Mutual Legal Assistance in Commercial Matters” and creating a digital platform for the electronic exchange of mutual legal assistance requests and documents.

Amid changes in global supply chains, the geographical location and transit potential of the Turkic states are gaining increasing strategic importance.

To transform the Middle Corridor into a unified economic system, the President proposed creating a “Network of Logistics Complexes of Turkic States” and establishing its joint management. This will expand the participation of the member states in international freight transportation and logistics and increase their economic interest.

To expand tourism opportunities, the President proposed establishing the “Turkic Tourism Alliance” and drafting a multilateral agreement to facilitate mutual travel by citizens and expand travel opportunities using ID cards.

Uzbekistan expressed its readiness to annually allocate educational grants to representatives of the Turkic states under the “New Uzbekistan Scholarship”  program for international students.

The President also thanked the member states for supporting Uzbekistan’s initiative to declare 2027 the “Year of Nature Protection” within the Organization. He noted with satisfaction the presentation of the Alisher Navoi International Prize, established at Uzbekistan’s initiative, to Ambassador Dusen Kasseinov, an Honored Art Worker of Kazakhstan.

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.” Based on the motto of today’s summit, the President proposed compiling a “Dictionary of Common Turkic Words,” bringing together words shared by our languages that are readily understood by all Turkic peoples.

“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,” the President of Uzbekistan said in conclusion.

During the summit, a decision was made to support the candidacy of Uzbekistan’s representative Mirvokhid Azimov for the post of Secretary General of the Organization and to hold the next summit in Uzbekistan next year.

Following the summit, the Ankara Declaration and a number of documents aimed at further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation among the Organization’s member states were adopted.