Uzbekistan decides to join ‘Turkic alliance’ during Erdogan’s visit

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan will join the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on April 30 during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to the country.

“We have long negotiated with President Erdoğan. The Uzbekistan flag will also be among the flags in this council,” Mirziyoyev said at a joint news conference with Erdoğan.

“Uzbekistan will also attend the meeting in Bishkek. This is a big, important decision,” he added.

Erdoğan is in Uzbekistan on a three-day visit. An official ceremony was held in the capital, where the national anthems of both countries were played before official talks began.

Turkey is working with Uzbekistan to enhance bilateral ties in all areas, Erdoğan said.

“We discussed all topics related to Turkey-Uzbekistan relations - politics, military, economy, trade, culture, the defense industry - and what we can do in the process after this,” he added.

“We exchanged views on regional and global issues. Last year in October, we brought Turkey-Uzbekistan relations to a strategic partnership on the occasion of my distinguished brother’s visit to my country with his family,” Erdoğan said.

The two presidents signed agreements comprising 25 items, which the Turkish president referred to as “the start of a long journey for Turkey and Uzbekistan.”

The meeting of the Turkey-Uzbekistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council will be held annually, the first of which will be held in Turkey, and Ankara remains determined to boost bilateral ties in the areas of the economy, the defense industry, education, culture, environment, energy, agriculture and tourism.

The trade volume between the two countries went up by 20 percent in the first quarter of the year and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) aims to invest $60 million in Uzbekistan, Erdoğan said.

On May 1 he is due to visit the historic city of Bukhara, where he plans to establish two Islamic institutes. He is accompanied by a large delegation made up of Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief Hakan Fidan, Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu, Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül, Science, Industry, and Technology Minister Faruk Özlü, Labor and Social Security Minister Jülide Sarıeroğlu, and Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci.