President of Uzbekistan outlines priorities for advancing multifaceted cooperation among Turkic states

On May 21, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Budapest.

The event, chaired by the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, was also attended by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, the President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev.

In line with the summit agenda, the participants exchanged views on the current state and prospects of multifaceted cooperation within the Organization, and discussed pressing issues of practical collaboration.

At the beginning of his address, the President of Uzbekistan provided an in-depth assessment of the evolving global situation, marked by growing geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions, the escalation of regional conflicts, and the adverse effects of climate change.

The President emphasized the importance of strengthening common approaches and unified positions among the member states of the Organization in addressing pressing international issues, based primarily on the principles of international law and the UN Charter.

Turning to the development of practical cooperation within the Organization of Turkic States, the Uzbekistan Leader highlighted the vast untapped potential and proposed several new proposals.

In the political sphere, the President emphasized the relevance of signing the Treaty on Strategic Partnership, Eternal Friendship, and Brotherhood of the Turkic States, an initiative put forward by the Uzbek side. He expressed confidence that this document would contribute to further unification of the peoples and strengthen the long-term legal foundation for multilateral cooperation.

Special attention was given to developing trade, economic, investment, transport, and communication cooperation. To increase the share of mutual trade in the total foreign trade turnover of the Organization’s member states, the President proposed the creation of an online platform titled “TURK-TRADE” and the adoption of a Practical Program to boost trade volumes.