The key facts

  • The 13th OTS Summit was held on October 30 in Ankara
  • Uzbekistan proposed the 'Turkic World — 100' program with 100 joint investment and industrial projects
  • Among the initiatives are a network of logistics complexes along the Middle Corridor, a tourism alliance, and a multilateral agreement on travel with ID cards

The Ankara Summit and Uzbekistan's Role

On October 30, the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Ankara. As reported by Kun.uz, the organization emphasizes that Uzbekistan's accession as a full member has raised the association's activities to a higher level in terms of quality and substance: the republic has become one of the most active participants, and its initiatives are being implemented in the form of concrete projects, agreements, and joint programs.

What the President of Uzbekistan Proposed

At the summit, the head of Uzbekistan put forward a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening ties between Turkic states. First, it was proposed to develop cooperation with third countries in the format of the 'Organization of Turkic States Plus,' starting with meetings of sectoral ministers, with a focus on concrete joint projects in trade, transport, and investment. Second, the adoption of the 'Turkic World — 100' program, covering 100 strategic joint investment and industrial projects, with the involvement of resources from the Turkish Investment Fund and international financial institutions.

Law, Logistics, and Tourism

It was also proposed to develop a multilateral treaty 'On Mutual Legal Assistance in Commercial Matters' and to create a digital platform for the electronic exchange of legal assistance requests and documents. To turn the Middle Corridor, which connects East and Central Asia with the South Caucasus, Turkey, and Europe, into an integrated economic system — a network of logistics complexes of the Turkic states with joint management is to be formed. In the field of tourism, the proposal is to establish a 'Turkic Tourism Alliance' and to develop a multilateral agreement simplifying mutual travel for citizens, including expanding the possibility of traveling with ID cards; according to Kun.uz, it was precisely this proposal that generated great interest among participants.

Context: What Is Already Being Implemented

The summit's initiatives continue the directions that Uzbekistan is already advancing within the OTS: developing the transport and logistics system, removing trade barriers, creating free trade zones and simplifying customs procedures, expanding cultural, humanitarian, and scientific ties, as well as combating security threats. At the same time, all the proposals voiced in Ankara remain just that — proposals: the publication does not report on their adoption by the summit participants.