Uzbek president to visit Turkey

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkey’s decision to improve its relationship with Uzbekistan can be explained by a mixture of economic aspirations which are mutually beneficial for both sides.

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay an official visit to Turkey on October 25-26 at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the press service of the president’s office reported.

During the high-level talks in Ankara, issues of expansion of Uzbek-Turkish cooperation in the political, trade-economic, investment, transport-communication and other fields will be discussed.

The sides are expected to exchange views on international issues and joint counteraction to global and regional challenges.

The delegation of Uzbekistan will also visit the city of Istanbul.

As a result of the visit, it is planned to adopt a Joint Statement by the heads of state. Moreover, the parties will sign a package of intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents aimed at further development of bilateral relations in various fields, including the creation of favorable conditions for mutually beneficial ties between the business circles of Uzbekistan and Turkey, the intensification of tourist exchanges and cultural and humanitarian contacts.

Turkey became the first country to recognize Uzbekistan’s independence on 16 December 1991. The diplomatic relations were established between two countries on 4 March 1992.

More than 90 bilateral agreements and protocols were signed to form the legal basis of relations and numerous mutual high-level visits were carried out. These documents cover the spheres of trade, economy, science, transport, culture and others.

There are currently 700 companies in Uzbekistan with Turkish capital, 100 of which are representation offices. They carry out activities in the sectors of textile, commitment, food, hotel management, building materials, plastic, medication, and service. There are 114 companies in Turkey with Uzbek capital. 

In 2016, the mutual trade turnover between the countries reached $1.2 billion. In February 2017, Turkey and Uzbekistan signed cooperation agreement to boost economic relations.