BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 28. President of
Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay an official visit to Türkiye
on January 29 to take part in the fourth meeting of the High-Level
Strategic Cooperation Council.
In recent years, the council format has become the main
institutional mechanism driving the development of Uzbek–Turkish
relations. Each meeting has been accompanied by the signing of
significant agreements in trade and economic cooperation,
investment, energy, and transport, laying the groundwork for a
long-term partnership.
Previously, the president of Uzbekistan emphasized that the
establishment of the Strategic Cooperation Council marked an
important milestone in the development of bilateral relations.
“The establishment of the Strategic Cooperation Council opened a
new chapter in the history of Uzbek–Turkish relations and gave a
strong impetus to the further development of partnership across all
areas,” Mirziyoyev said following the third meeting of the
High-Level Council.
Expectations for the upcoming summit in Ankara remain high. The
forthcoming summit in Ankara is expected to focus on further
expanding trade, strengthening cooperation in energy and transport,
and enhancing regional connectivity between Central Asia and
international markets via Türkiye.
Meanwhile, during the previous Council meeting held in June
2024, the presidents of Uzbekistan and Türkiye signed a Joint
Declaration on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,
along with 19 bilateral documents. At that moment, both parties
pointed out that in recent years, bilateral trade had surged by 1.5
times, the number of joint ventures had doubled, Turkish
investments in Uzbekistan’s economy had skyrocketed by 2.5 times,
and tourist arrivals from Türkiye had tripled.
At the same time, current trade dynamics point to a slowdown in
growth. Türkiye remains one of Uzbekistan’s largest trading
partners and consistently ranks fourth; however, according to the
results of 2025, bilateral trade amounted to $3.03 billion. Data
from the Statistics Committee show that this figure was slightly
below the 2024 level and declined compared to 2023. This suggests
that the previous model of trade expansion, largely based on the
exchange of finished goods, is gradually reaching its limits.
Against this backdrop, the objective of increasing bilateral
trade to a higher level takes on a qualitatively different meaning.
The focus is not merely on boosting volumes but on developing
industrial cooperation, expanding localization of high value-added
production, and building joint supply chains. This strategy would
pave the way for Uzbekistan to boost its exports of processed goods
and generate new employment opportunities, while also helping
Türkiye to solidify its manufacturing foothold in Central Asia and
tap into third-country markets through collaborative ventures.
Additional momentum could come from reduced customs tariffs
under the Preferential Trade Agreement and the opening of
Uzbekistan’s trade representation office in Istanbul.
For Türkiye, Uzbekistan represents a fast-growing market and a
production base in Central Asia. For Uzbekistan, in turn, Türkiye
serves as a source of investment, technology, and managerial
expertise, as well as an important gateway to international
markets. The most promising areas of cooperation include textiles,
agribusiness, construction, and manufacturing.
Energy remains one of the key pillars of bilateral cooperation.
Uzbekistan’s economy continues to demonstrate steady growth,
accompanied by a constant increase in electricity demand.
Industrial development, digital projects, and population growth are
placing growing pressure on the energy system each year, much of
which was built decades ago. In this context, priorities include
not only commissioning new capacity but also modernizing the entire
energy infrastructure.
A number of Turkish firms are actively participating in these
endeavors, and Uzbekistan has previously launched initiatives to
construct modern power plants with a combined investment of around
$1 billion and a total capacity of about 1.8 GW, in collaboration
with Turkish partners. Uzbekistan’s Minister of Energy, Zhurabek
Mirzamakhmudov, has previously emphasized that cooperation with
Türkiye in the energy sector continues to expand.
“The Turkish companies were among the first to actively support
Uzbekistan’s reforms, including the implementation of the country’s
first public-private partnership projects,” he noted.
A landmark step in this direction was the decision to transfer
the management of electricity distribution networks in the
Samarkand region to the Turkish company Aksa Enerji. This marks the
country’s first large-scale public-private partnership involving a
private operator in electricity distribution. The project covers
the design, financing, modernization, and operation of over 30,000
kilometers of distribution networks, many of which were once
thought to be past their prime. The project is expected to reduce
power losses, improve reliability of electricity supply, and ease
pressure on the state budget.
In addition, Turkish company Cengiz Enerji is implementing a
project to build a 240 MW thermal power plant in the Tashkent
region, aimed at meeting rising electricity demand and enhancing
the country’s energy resilience.
Transport is another important area of cooperation. For
landlocked Uzbekistan, developing alternative routes and
diversifying logistics corridors is of strategic importance.
Türkiye, for its part, views cooperation with Uzbekistan as part of
a broader effort to strengthen its role as a transit hub between
Asia and Europe.
In this context, the two sides are discussing prospects for
expanding the international multimodal transport corridor along the
Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Türkiye route. The project is
envisaged under a protocol signed at the 12th meeting of transport
ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization, held in
November 2023 in Tashkent.
This route's development will allow Uzbekistan to broaden its
export and transit avenues, gaining greater access to Middle
Eastern and European markets. For Türkiye, it signifies a boost in
transit traffic and improved logistics capabilities.
Overall, cooperation between Uzbekistan and Türkiye now spans a
growing range of sectors, from trade and industry to energy,
transport, investment, and tourism. For Uzbekistan, the partnership
brings capital inflows, access to technology, and expanded access
to foreign markets. For Türkiye, it strengthens economic presence
in Central Asia and participation in major infrastructure
projects.
The upcoming visit of Mirziyoyev to Ankara could give additional
momentum to Uzbek-Turkish cooperation, shifting the focus from
simple growth in indicators toward scaling projects and deepening
cooperation in industry, energy, and transport infrastructure.
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