Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Uzbekistan

World
Tue, 15 Nov 2022 8:08 GMT
On 11 November, a summit of the heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States was held in Samarkand under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Uzbekistan

On 11 November, a summit of the heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States was held in Samarkand under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the theme of which was “New Era for the Turkic Civilization: Towards Common Development and Prosperity”.

The meeting was attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban.

The heads of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), the International Turkic Academy, the Foundation of Turkic Culture and Heritage, the Secretariat of this multilateral organization also participated.

In accordance with the agenda of the meeting, the heads of state discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. The issues of strengthening connectivity and expanding cooperation in the field of tourism, energy and agriculture are considered. Special attention is paid to the development of effective mechanisms for interregional cooperation in the field of science and education, technology and innovation.

In his speech, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked the summit participants for supporting the initiative to declare the city of Samarkand, a symbol of peace and friendship, a center of science and education, the “Capital of the Turkic civilization”.

“The ancient Turkic land has been connecting East and West for thousands of years, bringing world civilizations closer and enriching cultures. We are rightfully proud of our common great ancestors who wrote bright pages in the ancient history of the Turkic world,” the head of Uzbekistan noted.

In the context of the growing geopolitical confrontation, the negative consequences of the global economic crisis and climate change, it is extremely important to identify common approaches and coordinate efforts in solving the most pressing problems.

In this regard, during its presidency, Uzbekistan intends to effectively implement the concept of the “Vision of the Turkic World – 2040” and the five–year Strategy of the Organization of Turkic States adopted today, enhance the authority of the Organization covering a vast region with a population of over 170 million people, and most importantly, bring to an even higher level the cooperation of fraternal countries and peoples with a common history, language and culture.

Based on an in-depth analysis of the Organization’s activities, the leader of Uzbekistan put forward a number of initiatives aimed at harnessing the enormous potential and capabilities of the Turkic countries.

The expediency of fostering the foundations of trade and economic cooperation was emphasized.

“The mutual trade turnover between our countries is only 4 percent of the total volume of foreign trade. The rest is accounted for by third countries. Of course, none of us can be satisfied with this state of affairs,” the President of Uzbekistan pointed out.

In order to radically change the situation in this strategic direction, to ensure the free promotion of trade, investment and services, an initiative was put forward to create a “Space of new Economic opportunities” within the Organization.

To achieve this goal, the leader of Uzbekistan proposed to hold an International Turkic Economic Forum annually. The organization of joint events within the framework of the forum in the format of “state and business”, meetings of entrepreneurs and round tables, presentations of innovative projects and exhibitions will give a great practical result. It is important that as a result of these events, annual “roadmaps” will be adopted, focused on the implementation of joint programs and projects.

These measures are primarily aimed at dramatically increasing the mutual trade and joint entry into the markets of third countries, creating uninterrupted value chains, high-tech clusters and venture companies.

Another topical issue on the agenda of strategic importance is the strengthening of connectivity in the transport sector.

“We talk a lot about the Trans–Caspian International Corridor, but in order to achieve significant results, we have to do much more,” the President of Uzbekistan stressed.

It is proposed that the transport ministers develop a detailed plan and effective cooperation mechanisms by the end of the year, focusing on improving the competitiveness of transit corridors in the region, introducing the most favorable tariffs for business, and creating a modern transport infrastructure.

It was emphasized that the first Turkic Agroforum held in Tashkent this year clearly demonstrated the huge potential in the field of food security.

“The organization has the ability to provide agricultural and food products not only to our countries, but also to supply it to foreign markets,” the head of Uzbekistan said.

To this end, it is necessary to pay attention to the preparation of a multilateral agreement on the creation of an effective food supply system, establish a full-scale partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, regularly hold a Turkic agroforum and organize an international exhibition of “smart” agriculture.

The President of Uzbekistan announced his intention to continue the work on comprehensive support of the younger generation, the disclosure of their talent and the realization of their potential.

It is proposed that an International Congress of Science and Innovation for Turkic Youth be held in Uzbekistan. On its platform, meetings of ministers of innovation and education, university rectors and young leaders, talented boys and girls, and Organization elders are planned.

“In order to make this work systematic and ensure its effectiveness, we propose to introduce the post of Deputy Secretary General of the Organization for Youth Affairs,”- the leader of Uzbekistan suggested.

Another top priority is ensuring regional security. The importance of maintaining constant contact and strengthening interaction between law enforcement agencies and special services in the fight against terrorism, extremism, youth radicalization, human trafficking, drug trafficking, public safety, and cybersecurity was emphasized.

“I want to draw your attention to another urgent problem. Of course, we are all seriously concerned about the situation in neighboring Afghanistan today. The issue of resolving the situation in this country should not leave our field of view,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed.

Touching upon the issues of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, he said that today Uzbekistan has become a full member of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, and next year, as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Organization, a Festival of Culture of the Turkic Peoples will be held.

Uzbekistan has published a 100-volume collection of “Pearls of Turkic Literature” in Uzbek, which includes the best examples of the literature of the member countries and observers of the OTS.

“If we publish this valuable spiritual treasure in the languages of all participating countries and observers, it will become a solid foundation for the rapprochement of our fraternal countries, primarily the younger generation,” the head of Uzbekistan said.

In order to bring the activities of the Organization of Turkic States to a qualitatively new level, increase its effectiveness and fully utilize the potential of cooperation, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to carry out institutional reforms in the Organization.

Attention was drawn to the need to create separate committees at the ministerial level in priority areas – politics and security, trade and investment, transport, agriculture, energy, information technology, tourism, innovation and education, medicine, youth and others.

“The active involvement of experts and scientists, representatives of the public and private sectors in their activities will undoubtedly give greater efficiency,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed.

In addition, initiatives have been put forward to approve the new structure of the Secretariat and actively involve the Council of Elders of the Organization in strengthening the system of strict control over all decisions and documents adopted by the Heads of State.

“The Turkic world has a great history, worthy of admiration, great ancestors and incomparable wealth. And I am convinced that the Turkic world has a great future ahead of it. We will definitely build this future together with our hardworking, generous and noble peoples. Our summit in the ancient city of Samarkand will mark the beginning of a new stage in the development of the civilization of the Turkic world in modern history,” the leader of Uzbekistan said at the end of his speech.

As a result of the meeting, the Samarkand Declaration of the summit of the Organization of Turkic States was adopted, aimed at further expanding multifaceted cooperation within this structure.

In addition, it was decided to approve the candidacy of Kubanychbek Omuraliev for the post of Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States. ///nCa, 11 November 2022 (in cooperation with Embassy of Uzbekistan in Turkmenistan)

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