A meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States takes place

On November 11, 2022, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States on “A new era of Turkic civilization: on the way to common progress and prosperity”, in the city of Samarkand.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban.

The heads of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), the International Turkic Academy and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, as well as the Secretariat of this multilateral structure also attended the meeting.

By the agenda of the meeting, the Heads of State discussed the current state and prospects for cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. Issues of strengthening connectivity and enhancing interaction in tourism, energy and agriculture were considered. The main attention was paid to developing effective mechanisms for interregional cooperation in science and education, technology and innovation.

In his speech, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked the participants of the summit for supporting the initiative to declare the city of Samarkand, which is a symbol of peace and friendship, a center of science and enlightenment, the “Capital of Turkic Civilization”.

“The ancient Turkic land has been connecting the East and the West for thousands of years, bringing world civilizations closer to each other and enriching various cultures. We are rightfully proud that the bright pages of the great past of the Turkic world were created together by our great ancestors”, the Head of the state noted.

Today, all of us are all going through difficult trials related to acute geopolitical contradictions, the global economic crisis and the negative consequences of climate change. Therefore, in the current dangerous situation, our countries need to identify common approaches and coordinate efforts to address the most pressing problems.

During Uzbekistan’s chairmanship, the country also intends to effectively implement the «Turkic World Vision 2040» concept and the «Five-year strategy of the Organization of Turkic States» that is being adopted today, to further strengthen the authority of the Organization, which includes a vast region with more than 170 million people, and most importantly, to bring to a higher level the cooperation between our brotherly peoples and countries with a common history, language and culture.

Based on a deep analysis of the activities of the Organization, the Leader of Uzbekistan put forward several initiatives aimed at using the huge potential and capabilities of the Turkic countries.

The expediency of strengthening the foundations of trade and economic cooperation was emphasized.

“Mutual trade between our countries constitutes only 4% of total foreign trade. And the rest of it corresponds to the share of third countries. Certainly, none of us are satisfied with this situation”, the President of Uzbekistan noted.

To fundamentally change the situation in this strategic direction, to ensure the free movement of trade, investment and services, the initiative was put forward to establish a «space of new economic opportunities» within the Organization.

To implement this plan, the Leader of Uzbekistan proposed to hold an annual International Turkic Economic Forum. Holding joint G2B events, business meetings and roundtable discussions, presentations of innovative projects and exhibitions within the framework of the Forum shall yield great practical results. As an outcome of these events, it will be important to adopt the annual road maps focused on the implementation of joint programs and projects.

These measures shall be focused primarily on boosting mutual trade and joint entry into third-country markets, creating continuous value chains, high-tech clusters and venture companies.

Another urgent issue of strategic importance on the agenda is the strengthening the transport connectivity.

“We are speaking a lot about the Trans-Caspian international corridor, but we have to accomplish a lot to achieve tangible results”, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized.

It was suggested that transport ministers develop a clear plan and effective mechanisms for cooperation by the end of the year, focusing on increasing the competitiveness of transit corridors in the region, introducing the most favorable tariffs for business, creating a modern transport infrastructure.

It was noted that the First Turkic Agricultural Forum held this year in Tashkent has clearly shown great potential in ensuring food security.

“The Organization has the potential to supply agricultural and food products not only in our countries, but also the foreign markets”, the Head of Uzbekistan noted.

It is essential to adopt a multilateral agreement within the Organization to create an effective system of food supply, establish a comprehensive partnership between the Organization of Turkic States and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, hold the Turkic Agricultural Forum on a regular basis and organize an international smart agricultural exhibition.

The President announced his intention to consistently continue the good work that has been started to encourage the young generation, to realize their talents and abilities.

It was proposed to hold the International Congress of Science and Innovation of Youth of the Turkic World in Uzbekistan. Within its framework, it is planned to organize extensive meetings of ministers of innovation and education, rectors of universities and young leaders, talented youth, elders of the Organization.

“To render a systematic tone to our work and ensure effectiveness, it would be appropriate to introduce the position of the Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Youth Affairs”, the Leader of Uzbekistan suggested.

Another priority direction is ensuring robust security in the region. It was noted that law enforcement agencies and security services should be in constant contact and strengthen cooperation in the areas of combating terrorism, extremism, the radicalization of youth, human and drug trafficking, ensuring public and cyber security.

“I would like to draw your attention to another urgent issue. Today, the complex situation in neighboring Afghanistan is, certainly, a source of great concern to all of us. We should never forget about turning the situation in this country in a positive direction. We encourage regular dialogues among our Foreign Ministers to develop a common approach to the Afghan issue”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

Today Uzbekistan has become a full member of the International Organization of Turkic Culture. The Culture Festival of the Turkic people will be held next year as part of the Organization’s celebrations of its 30th anniversary.

A 100-volume book series «Masterpieces of Turkic literature» has been recently published in Uzbekistan in the Uzbek language, consisting of a collection of literature from the member and observer-states of the Organization.

“If we publish this priceless spiritual treasure in the languages of all member and observer-states, it shall create a solid foundation for strengthening the ties of our brotherly countries, especially our younger generations”, the Head of the state said.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan proposed to conduct institutional reforms in the organization to raise the activity of the Organization of Turkic States to a new quality level, increase its authority, fully tap the potential of cooperation.

The need was noted for creating separate committees at the ministerial level on our priority areas: politics and security, trade and investment, transport, agriculture, energy, information technology, tourism, innovation and education, medicine, youth and other areas.

“The active involvement of experts and scientists, public and private sector representatives in their activities shall undoubtedly have a great effect”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

In addition, initiatives have been put forward to approve the new structure of the Secretariat at the next summit and actively involve the Council of Elders of the Organization in strengthening the system of strict control over all decisions and documents adopted by the heads of state.

“The Turkic world has an enviable great history, great ancestors and incomparable wealth. And I believe that the Turkic world has a great future. No doubt, we shall create this future together with our hardworking, magnanimous and noble people. Our Summit in the ancient city of Samarkand shall usher in a new stage of growth in the modern history of the civilization of the Turkic world”, said the Leader of Uzbekistan.

Following the meeting, the Samarkand Declaration of the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States was adopted. It aims at further enhancing multifaceted cooperation within the organization.

A decision was made to approve the candidacy of Kubanychbek Omuraliev for the post of Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States.

UzA