Mirziyoyev proposed ID-card travel to Turkic countries and a Turkic Tourism Alliance

The proposal at the summit in Ankara

On October 30, Ankara is hosting the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States, attended by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. In his speech, he proposed developing a multilateral agreement on mutual travel of citizens between the organization's member countries. According to him, the document should reflect expanded opportunities for travel based on ID cards instead of foreign passports, simplified border crossing procedures, and rules of stay in the host country. This is reported by Kun.uz, Daryo.uz, UzNews.uz and Spot.uz.

Turkic Tourism Alliance

The president's second proposal is the creation of a Turkic Tourism Alliance for the joint promotion of the historical cities, nature, culture, and hospitality traditions of the Turkic peoples. Here the sources differ on the figures: Kun.uz and Daryo.uz quote Mirziyoyev referring to 2022, when the organization's countries were visited by more than 40 million foreign tourists, while UzNews.uz and Spot.uz cite his words about more than 100 million tourists in 2025. The discrepancy apparently stems from different versions of the quote; the publications do not allow determining which one is accurate.

What is already in effect and what was discussed earlier

As Spot.uz recalls, bilateral agreements on travel with ID cards already exist: since September 2023, an agreement between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan has been in effect, allowing border crossing with ID cards and stays in the neighboring country for up to 60 days. In November 2024, Mirziyoyev announced plans to reach similar agreements with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan; in January 2025, government agencies discussed such travel with Azerbaijan, and in March 2025 the president instructed to begin negotiations with Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan on 30-day entry with internal passports and ID cards. Thus, the new proposal at the OTS summit is an attempt to move these bilateral agreements into a multilateral format covering the organization's member countries.

Context of the visit to Turkey

According to Daryo.uz, earlier, during Mirziyoyev's talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, a package of bilateral agreements was signed — on trade, social security, and the exchange of information on the movement of goods and transport across borders. The leaders also agreed to establish a Supreme Council for Business Support. The proposal for a mutual travel agreement remains an initiative for now: the sources do not report on its adoption or the timeline for its development.