The event was attended by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Chairman of the People’s Council of the National Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán.

According to the meeting agenda, the heads of state discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation in the political, economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres. Issues of strengthening interdependence, expansion of cooperation in the fields of tourism, energy and agriculture were discussed. Special attention was paid to the development of effective mechanisms of cooperation between regions in terms of science and education, technologies and innovations.

In his speech, President 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 enlightenment, as the “capital of Turkish civilization”.

- The ancient Turkic land has been connecting the East and the West for thousands of years, bringing the world civilizations closer to each other and enriching the world cultures. We are rightly proud that the bright pages of the great history of the Turkic world were created together by our great ancestors, the leader of Uzbekistan said.

In the conditions of geopolitical conflicts, global economic crisis and the increasing negative consequences of climate change, it is extremely important for our countries to define common approaches and coordinate efforts to solve the most urgent problems.

Based on a deep analysis of the organization’s activities, the head of Uzbekistan put forward a number of initiatives aimed at using the great potential and opportunities of the Turkic countries. It was noted that it is appropriate to strengthen the foundations of trade-economic cooperation.

- The trade between our countries is only 4% of our total foreign trade. And the rest of it corresponds to the share of third countries. Of course, such a situation does not satisfy any of us, the President said.

In order to fundamentally change the situation in this strategic direction, to ensure the free movement of trade, investment and services, an initiative to establish a “Zone of New Economic Opportunities” was put forward within the organization. To achieve this goal, the head of state proposed to hold the International Turkish Economic Forum every year. Holding joint events, meetings and roundtables of businessmen, presentations of innovative projects and exhibitions in the format of “state and business” within the framework of the forum will yield great practical results. It will be important to adopt the annual “Roadmaps” aimed at the implementation of joint programs and projects based on the results of these activities.

Another urgent issue of strategic importance on the agenda is the strengthening of interdependence in the field of transport. We talk a lot about the Trans-Caspian international corridor, but we have to do a lot to achieve significant results, the President of Uzbekistan said.

Transport ministers were invited to develop a clear plan and effective mechanisms of joint cooperation by the end of the year, focusing on increasing the competitiveness of transit corridors in our region, introducing the most favorable tariffs for business, and creating a modern transport infrastructure.

It was noted that the First Turkish Agroforum, which was held in Tashkent this year, clearly showed that there is a huge potential in the field of ensuring food safety. Our organization has the opportunity to supply not only our countries, but also foreign markets with agricultural and food products, the head of Uzbekistan said.

For this purpose, it is necessary to adopt a multilateral agreement within the framework of the Organization on the creation of an effective food supply system, to establish a comprehensive partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to regularly hold the Turkish agroforum and hold an international exhibition of “smart” agriculture at its second conference.

The President emphasized that the good work started by encouraging the young generation in every way, realizing their talents and abilities, will be consistently continued. Next year, it was proposed to hold the International Congress of Science and Innovation of the Youth of the Turkic World. In its framework, it is planned to organize comprehensive meetings of ministers of innovation and education, rectors of universities and young leaders, our talented children, elders of the organization. In order to give a systematic tone to our work and ensure effectiveness, it would be a good idea to introduce the position of deputy general secretary of the organization for youth issues, the country’s leader said.

Another priority is ensuring reliable security in the region. The importance of constant communication and strengthening of cooperation between our law enforcement and special services in the fields of terrorism, extremism, youth radicalization, human trafficking, fight against drug trafficking, public and cyber security was shown.

- I want to draw your attention to another pressing issue. Today, the complicated situation in our neighboring Afghanistan is of course a serious concern for all of us. The issue of changing the current situation in this country in a positive direction should never be overlooked, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The President of Uzbekistan proposed to carry out institutional reforms in this structure in order to raise the activity of the Organization of Turkic States to a new level of quality, further increase its influence and fully use the potential of cooperation. A proposal was made to create separate committees at the ministerial level on policy and security, trade and investment, transport, agriculture, energy, information technology, tourism, innovation and education, medicine, youth and other areas, which are priority areas.

- The active involvement of experts and scientists, public and private sector representatives in their activities will undoubtedly have a great effect, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Following the meeting, the Samarkand Declaration of the OTS Summit, aimed at further expanding multifaceted cooperation within the organization, was adopted.