Turkey hosts first meeting of Uzbek-Turkish Strategic Cooperation Council

The first meeting of the Uzbek-Turkish Strategic Cooperation Council of the highest level was held in Ankara on February 19.

The Council is a new format of dialogue in the history of bilateral relations. It was established in accordance with the Joint statement of the heads of state in 2018.

This body operates under the co-chairmanship of the Presidents of Uzbekistan and Turkey.

The President of the Republic of Turkey welcomed the head of our state and expressed satisfaction with the strengthening of interaction between the parliaments, state organizations and business circles of the two countries. Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that he fully supports joint projects between Turkey and Uzbekistan.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude to the leader and the people of Turkey for the hospitality and great respect of the delegation of our country.

– This meeting is a vivid embodiment of the existing high level of strategic partnership between our countries. Indeed, the Council will become an important basis for implementing priority tasks to bring the trade turnover between our countries to five billion dollars in the coming years, " Mirziyoyev said.

Uzbek-Turkish cooperation has significantly intensified in the past three years. The state visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Turkey in October 2017 and Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Uzbekistan in April 2018 strengthened mutual political trust and opened wide opportunities for a fruitful partnership.

The results of intensive contacts and mutual aspirations are reflected in economic cooperation. Thus, if in 2016 the mutual trade turnover was almost $1.2 billion, in 2019 this figure exceeded $2.5 billion. There are more than 1.3 thousand enterprises with Turkish investments in Uzbekistan. Investment projects worth $ 500 million are being implemented.

Cooperation in the transport sector is also expanding. Thus, in 2019, the volume of road transport increased by 33 percent, rail transport - by 17 percent, and air transport-by 42 percent.

In addition, 64 thousand Turkish tourists visited Uzbekistan last year.