President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his remarks at the Turkic Summit urged the member-states to make fuller use of their tourism potential. Mirziyoyev proposed expanding travel between Turkic states on ID cards alone, without foreign travel passports, and simplifying border crossing and stay procedures in the countries visited.
“We must also make full use of the huge opportunities in tourism. In 2022 alone, more than 40 million foreign tourists visited our countries. It is time to establish a Turkic Tourism Alliance to present the historic cities, unique nature, rich culture and hospitality traditions of the Turkic peoples to the world together,” he said.
He also proposed drafting a multilateral agreement on mutual travel by citizens.
“To bring distant places closer and make life easier for our people, we propose developing a multilateral agreement on mutual travel by citizens. It should address expanding opportunities for travel on the basis of ID cards and simplifying border crossing and stay procedures in the host country,” Mirziyoyev said.
He also noted that the opening of a national and cultural complex of the member states in Beştepe Park on the eve of the event was an important step toward preserving the shared heritage of fraternal peoples, and that the symbolic monument would become a vivid emblem of Turkic unity.
Mirziyoyev said the international system is undergoing fundamental change and geopolitical competition is intensifying, while tensions in regions around the Turkic world are weighing on prospects for security and development. He stressed the need to bring the organization closer together as a platform of mutual trust and practical partnership.
“We are all united on this noble path and ready to mobilize our strength and energy for Turkic solidarity,” Uzbekistan’s leader said.
He put forward a number of initiatives to take cooperation among Turkic states to a new level.
He said regular political consultations on pressing international and regional issues, and coordination of approaches and efforts, are important within the organization. To that end, he proposed launching cooperation with third countries in an “Organization of Turkic States Plus” format, starting with sectoral ministerial meetings.
“These dialogues should be aimed at implementing concrete joint projects in trade, transport, investment and other priority areas,” Mirziyoyev said.
He proposed adopting a “Turkic World – 100” program covering 100 strategic joint investment and industrial projects, including rare-mineral processing and localization of green-energy equipment. Directing resources of the Turkic Investment Fund and international financial institutions to these projects is vital, he said.
To protect business entites' interests, he also proposed a multilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance in commercial matters and a digital platform for the electronic exchange of legal assistance requests and documents.
With global supply chains shifting, he said, the geographic position and transit capacity of Turkic states are becoming increasingly strategic. To turn the Middle Corridor into a single economic system, he proposed creating and jointly managing a “Network of Turkic States Logistics Complexes,” which would expand the countries’ role in international freight and logistics and boost economic returns.
To expand tourism potential, he proposed forming a “Turkic Tourism Alliance” and drafting a multilateral agreement to simplify mutual travel and allow more travel on ID cards.
He said representatives of Turkic states will receive education grants every year under the New Uzbekistan Scholarship, created in Uzbekistan for young people from abroad.
Mirziyoyev thanked members for backing the initiative to declare 2027 the “Year of Nature Conservation.” He also noted with satisfaction that the Alisher Navoi International Prize, established on Uzbekistan’s proposal in honor of the great thinker and statesman, had been presented to Kazakhstan’s honored art figure and ambassador Dyusen Kaseinov.
Recalling the words of Navoi, who devoted his life to the Turkic language, that whoever disregards language disregards the people, Mirziyoyev drew on the summit’s slogan to propose a “Pan-Turkic Dictionary” collecting words shared across Turkic languages and understood by all Turkic peoples.
“I am confident that today’s Ankara summit will be an important step toward our noble goal, our idea of solidarity and our grand plans. After all, our aspirations and strivings are shared. When we are one, we are stronger. When we act together, we will certainly reach even greater heights,” the head of state said at the end of his speech.
The summit endorsed the candidacy of Mirvokhid Azimov, a representative of Uzbekistan, for the post of the organization’s new secretary-general. It was also announced that the next summit will be held in Uzbekistan next year.
Participants adopted the Ankara Declaration and a number of documents aimed at further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation among member states.
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