Uzbekistan and Türkiye: common ground in youth policy

Bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Turkey have been gradually expanding in recent years, covering various areas. As part of this cooperation, formed on the basis of the initiatives of the heads of the two states, along with economic, trade, cultural and humanitarian areas, youth issues also entered the agenda as a priority. This process shows that the youth issue goes beyond the scope of internal social measures and turns into an important component of interstate relations.

Systemic discussion of youth policy issues within the framework of interstate cooperation and their reinforcement by practical initiatives indicate the presence of an institutional approach to this area. At the same time, youth exchange, joint forums, initiatives in the field of education and innovation are emerging as a direction implemented on the basis of clear plans and mechanisms. The youth issue is gradually strengthening in bilateral relations, becoming an element of sustainable cooperation.

In this sense, the third Turkic Council Youth Festival, originally held on December 3-6, 2019 in Istanbul, can be noted. The festival was organized within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States, and, along with Uzbekistan and Turkey, it was attended by about 100 active young people from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary and Northern Cyprus.

The discussion of youth policy at the institutional level was further strengthened by the fifth meeting of the ministers of youth and sports of the member countries of the Turkic Organization states, held on September 20, 2021 in Tashkent. At the meeting, chaired by Uzbekistan, agreements were reached on the coordination of youth exchange programs, youth platforms and joint events, in particular, on holding a multilateral youth exchange program in Turkey in 2022.

For example, these agreements became practical on August 22–27, 2022. These days, 10 young people from Uzbekistan took part in the first multilateral youth exchange program held in the cities of Istanbul and Konya. The program was aimed at establishing direct dialogue, exchange of experience and social connections between young people. Cooperation continued in the same spirit in subsequent years. On August 14–18, 2023, 20 young people from the Turkish province of Hatay visited Samarkand, Bukhara, Khorezm and Tashkent regions, where a round table was held on the topic “Solidarity of the youth of Uzbekistan and Turkey” in the areas of youth policy, culture, volunteering and climate change. And on August 19–25, 2024, at the invitation of the Turkish side, 22 young representatives of Uzbekistan took part in a youth exchange program in the cities of Istanbul, Bursa and Canakkale.

Youth cooperation was also strengthened through major multilateral events. Representatives of Uzbekistan and Turkey took an active part in the fourth Forum of Young Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States, held on June 3–4, 2022 in Bukhara. Also in 2024, within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Uzbekistan and Turkey, together with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Hungary, signed an international strategy to involve children and youth in the climate agenda for 2024–2030. In other words, this document defined a specific direction aimed at linking youth policy with issues of sustainable development.

The above facts show that cooperation in the youth sphere between Uzbekistan and Turkey is developing consistently, coordinated and based on clear mechanisms. Work with youth appears as an area of ​​sustainable cooperation, formed in stages with gradual improvement.

At the same time, the institutional level of cooperation on youth policy has increased even more in subsequent years. At the 9th meeting of the ministers for youth and sports of the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States, held on October 16–17, 2025 in Tashkent, it was determined that the Uzbek side will implement the “Youth Capital of the Turkic World” project in 2026. In accordance with this, this year the city of Khiva received the status of the Youth Capital of the Turkic World, and within the framework of the project, it is planned to hold the opening ceremony of the capital, an international youth festival, the Forum of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs, as well as final events. In addition, in order to strengthen interregional ties within the framework of youth policy, it is envisaged to designate the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara as sister cities along the youth line with the Turkish cities of Antalya and Ordu.

Cooperation on youth affairs between the two countries is also enriched with special practical content in the direction of technology and innovation. Such cooperation makes it possible to directly link youth policy with human capital. The delegation of the Agency for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan took part in the Teknofest Azerbaijan festival, held on May 26–29, 2022 in the capital of Azerbaijan. The festival was organized by the Turkish Technology Foundation and the Ministry of Industry and Technology of Turkey and was aimed at supporting technology projects and innovative developments among youth. This participation created an important platform of experience for expanding practical cooperation between Uzbekistan and Turkey on youth involvement in the technological environment.

Technology collaboration was taken to a new level at the Teknofest aviation, space and technology festival, held from August 30 to September 4, 2022 in the Turkish city of Samsun. At this festival, the delegation of Uzbekistan participated for the first time with a national pavilion. More than 600 thousand young people, engineers and inventors from 15 countries took part in the festival. In a pavilion of 300 square meters allocated for Uzbekistan, 20 innovative projects and developments created by youth were demonstrated.

After this, on December 12-17, 2022, the “Uzbek-Turkish Youth Business Forum” was organized for the first time in Istanbul. More than 200 young entrepreneurs from two countries operating in various directions, including 40 young people from Uzbekistan, took part in the forum. Within the framework of the forum, the “Turkey Innovation Week” was held, where young entrepreneurs got acquainted with advanced innovative projects and technological solutions. As a result of the event, cooperation agreements worth 351 thousand US dollars were signed.

An important aspect is that cooperation in the field of youth issues and technology was also secured by institutional foundations. In 2025, a memorandum was signed between the Agency for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Turkish Technology Team Foundation and the project office “5 Initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan” in Tashkent on the creation of the “Bilim Toshkent” center. This center is envisaged as an infrastructure aimed at developing technological knowledge and skills among young people.

Youth cooperation between Uzbekistan and Turkey is not limited only to exchanges and technological initiatives, but is also developing in humanitarian and volunteer areas. In May-June 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the representative office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Uzbekistan, relief boxes consisting of more than 1,000 food products were created in all regions of the republic. This initiative showed in practice the connection between youth and humanitarian cooperation, demonstrating the important role of youth structures in supporting social stability in emergency situations.

Collaboration in the field of volunteering continued in 2022 in a specific program format. On August 1–5, 2022, a training program on the topic “Preparing youth for volunteering” was held in Istanbul for youth from member countries of the Organization of Turkic States, in which 9 young volunteers from Uzbekistan took part. The training was aimed at organizing volunteer activities based on a systematic approach, strengthening the participation of young people in crisis situations and sharing experiences. Humanitarian cooperation was once again demonstrated in practice in the process of eliminating the consequences of a strong earthquake that occurred in the southeastern regions of Turkey in 2023. Humanitarian and volunteer areas serve as an important platform for strengthening ties between youth, maintaining mutual trust and expanding practical cooperation.

Youth cooperation between Uzbekistan and Turkey has become a sustainable system of cooperation. Youth exchange, institutional dialogue, technology and innovation initiatives, and humanitarian activities are carried out in mutual harmony. This circumstance shapes youth issues as an important mechanism serving the development of human capital and the strengthening of intersocietal ties. These areas of cooperation are strengthened through specific programs and mechanisms and are enriched with new forms over time.

In conclusion, we can say that cooperation in the youth area between Uzbekistan and Turkey has emerged as a direction adapted to today's needs, based on specific practical experience and with opportunities for development in the future. This collaboration serves as an important platform for testing modern approaches to working with young people and introducing them into wider practice.