Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Ankara on a working visit and met with Uzbeks

Arrival and meeting with compatriots

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, together with his spouse, arrived in Ankara on a working visit on 29 October, the press service of the head of state reported. At Esenboğa’s Etimesgut airport he was greeted by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and other officials. According to Gazeta.uz, the president began his visit precisely with a meeting with Uzbeks living in Turkey: he asked about their lives, studies and plans for the future.

What the president said

Addressing his compatriots, Mirziyoyev urged them not to waste time and to strive for knowledge: “No matter where you are, do not waste a single minute. Always strive for science, knowledge and learning new things. This will become your contribution to the future of our beloved Motherland — great Uzbekistan.” According to the press service, the meeting emphasized that attention to young people is linked to the country’s long-term development prospects, and the topic of restoring the scholarly heritage of great ancestors and historical values was also raised.

Promises to compatriots and the visit program

The president stated that Uzbekistan is expanding opportunities for scholarly work and acquiring knowledge, and improving housing conditions — “so that you may live in prosperity, return to the Motherland and make a worthy contribution to its flourishing.” These words are quoted by Kun.uz and UzNews.uz in nearly identical wording, which traces back to the press service of the president. The main purpose of the visit, however, is participation in the next summit of the Organization of Turkic States on the theme “Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Deed”; at the time of publication the summit was still upcoming — that is, the meeting with compatriots was an event that had already taken place, while participation in the summit was, at that point, the announced program.