President Erdoğan: "Today, we also confirmed our will to maintain our solidarity and close contact on regional issues, especially in the Turkish States Organization, in international platforms. We have a lot in common, especially the sources we feed on are the same.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the joint press conference with the President of Uzbekistan, Şevket Mirziyoyev, after the signing ceremony at Kök Saray, and said, “Our trade volume exceeded 72 billion dollars with an increase of nearly 3.6% last year. We set a target for one year as soon as possible, and we say 'we will reach the target of 5 billion dollars'. Then we will not stop there, we will raise the bar to the level of 10 billion dollars with the joint steps we will take.” said.
Expressing that they are happy to visit their ancestral homeland again after 4 years, President Erdoğan thanked Mirziyoyev for his sincere hospitality and hosting.
Congratulating the Nevruz Festival, which was celebrated last week, President Erdoğan wished that Ramadan-i Sharif, which will be celebrated on Saturday, would also bring mercy, abundance and peace to countries, the Turkish world and the Islamic world.
Noting that this year, Turkey-Uzbekistan celebrates the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, President Erdoğan said:
“It is also important for us to visit Uzbekistan in a very meaningful year for our countries. The progress made by Uzbekistan under the astute leadership of my dear brother Mirziyoyev is admirable. We wholeheartedly support the reform process initiated with the slogan of 'Defeated Uzbekistan'. As you know, Turkey is the first country to recognize Uzbekistan's independence and to open an embassy in Uzbekistan. Turkey was the first country to open a consulate general in Uzbekistan. Our Consulate General in Samarkand has been serving our Uzbek brothers and citizens for a year. On the basis of our relations, we have very strong common history, language, belief and cultural ties. So much so that a century ago, while our nation was fighting the War of Independence with its men and women in Anatolia, our Uzbek brothers were praying for us and writing heroic poems here. The late Abdülhamid Süleyman Çolpan put the flood that broke out of his heart into verses and greeted the victorious armies of the Anatolian winter quarters as follows; 'O İnönü, O Sakarya, O soldiers of Independence / Forward without stopping until the National Pact is taken.' Yes, we are in an effort to further improve our relations with Uzbekistan, with which we have such strong and sincere ties of brotherhood, in every field.”
Expressing that they see the second meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which they just successfully completed, as a new step in their journey from the past to the past, President Erdoğan said, “As a result of our meetings, we have raised the relations between our countries to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership. Our trade volume exceeded 72 billion dollars with an increase of nearly 3.6 percent last year. We set a target for one year as soon as possible, and we say 'we will reach the target of 5 billion dollars'. Then we will not stop there, we will raise the bar to the level of 10 billion dollars with the joint steps we will take.” he said.
Expressing that they want to follow all these steps closely by holding this meeting once a year rather than biennially, President Erdoğan said, “I think we will reach our goals faster thanks to the Preferential Trade Agreement signed today, and 10 agreements have been signed today. Signing these 10 agreements means that this process between Turkey and Uzbekistan will progress much more strongly.” said.
Stating that Turkish companies' investments in Uzbekistan have reached 1,5 billion dollars, President Erdoğan said that contracting companies have successfully completed 5 projects worth 241 billion dollars in Uzbekistan so far.
Expressing that Turkish companies are ready to contribute to the achievement of Uzbekistan's 2022-2026 development strategies, President Erdoğan said, “I would like to thank Mr. President once again for the trust he has in our investors, on behalf of myself and my nation.” said.
Pointing out that cooperation in the field of tourism is getting stronger, President Erdoğan said:
“Last year, we broke a record and hosted more than 270 thousand Uzbek brothers in Turkey. It is possible to increase this target to 500 thousand. Our destinations are strong, with mutual incentives, I believe that we can achieve advanced targets in package tourism. Another area where we have great potential is undoubtedly the defense industry. As a matter of fact, we signed our signatures in the defense industry today, and with these signatures, we are ready to share our capabilities with you in the defense industry. Turkey's achievements in this field are obvious. We agree to further develop our cooperation in a wide range of fields from transportation to energy, from health to education and culture. In particular, my brother and I attach great importance to the establishment of the Turkish-Uzbekistan University. As a matter of fact, we have appointed our relevant friends. Tomorrow, they will see the current university building and we will take the steps quickly.”
“We evaluated the issues that occupy the agenda of the region and the world”
President Erdoğan stated that they are determined to continue their development support in Uzbekistan through TIKA, whose projects are approaching 50 million dollars.
Underlining that the joint declaration signed with President of Uzbekistan, Şevket Mirziyoyev, will set a road map in the future, President Erdoğan said, “Today, we also confirmed our will to maintain our solidarity and close contact on regional issues, especially in the Turkish States Organization, in international platforms. We have a lot in common, especially the sources we feed on are the same.” he said.
Explaining that they evaluated the issues and developments that occupy the agenda of the region and the world, President Erdoğan continued his words as follows:
“I am very excited to visit the ancient city of Khiva, which is the Cultural Capital of the Turkish World in 2020, tomorrow. As you know, the title of Cultural Capital of the Turkic World this year is in our another ancient city, Bursa. We are reuniting these centers of culture and wisdom, which are the apple of our common civilization, as members of a large family, and shortening the distances between them.”
President Erdoğan thanked the warm hospitality shown to him and his delegation and said, “I would like to thank the people and authorities of Uzbekistan in the presence of Mr. Mirziyoyev. I hope our meeting will be beneficial. In advance, I wish the month of Ramadan to be a blessing for the whole Islamic world." said.
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