31.03.2021

Today on March 31, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the informal summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, which took place in the format of video conferencing.

The event chaired by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was also attended by the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy, Honorary Chairman of the Turkic Council Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban and Secretary General of the Turkic Council Baghdad Amreyev.

There was an exchange of views on the development of the multifaceted practical cooperation in the field of economy, trade, transport, strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties within the organization.

During the meeting, a special attention was paid to the legacy of the great poet and thinker Khoja Ahmad Yassaviy, who made a great contribution to the development of the spirituality of all Turkic peoples. The President noted that Sakhibkiran Amir Temur honored Ahmad Yassaviy, who gained respect throughout the region owing to his spiritual and moral views, and he established a majestic mausoleum in the city of Turkestan after him.

Today the mausoleum of Ahmad Yassaviy is considered to be a sacred place for all our fraternal peoples.

In his speech President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pointed out that the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, based on strong historical ties, common language, culture and spiritual values, is becoming an effective mechanism for regional interaction.

The President has put forward an initiative to develop a short and mid-term strategy for the economic cooperation of the Council on mitigating and overcoming the negative consequences of the ongoing global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He drew attention to the need for an early re-establishment of trade, investment, cooperation and transport links, their further development in new conditions, the widespread introduction of e-commerce and digital technologies, a fuller use of the opportunities of the business community and interregional cooperation.

The priority importance of strengthening the industrial cooperation between the Turkic-speaking countries and the joint implementation of large investment projects, accelerating practical work on the establishment and launching the Investment Fund and the Development Bank within the Turkic Council was emphasized.

The President of Uzbekistan called for more effective use of the strategically important transport and transit potential of the region, development of transport corridors across Central Asia in order to expand access to global markets in Asia, as well as routes leading to the European markets through Azerbaijan and Turkey, jointly implement major projects to expand the logistics infrastructure.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev drew a particular attention to the relevance of the «Tabarruk Ziyorat» (sacred pilgrimage) project on organizing pilgrimages to sacred places located within the Turkic Council states, and for this purpose he has proposed to adopt the Pilgrimage Tourism Development Program.

Considering the important role of the great Uzbek poet, thinker and statesman Alisher Navoiy in the spiritual and educational life of the Turkic world, the head of our state proposed to establish, the Alisher Navoiy International Prize within the Turkic Council to encourage achievements in science, education, literature, art, social sphere and stimulating efforts to strengthen the unity of the Turkic-speaking peoples.

The summit participants fully supported the initiatives of the President of Uzbekistan.

Following the summit meeting, the Turkestan Declaration, which reflects the main agreements of the informal meeting, was adopted.

The eighth summit of the Turkic Council is planned to be held in autumn 2021 in the Republic of Turkey.