Turkey vows to strengthen ties with Uzbekistan

By Zuhal Demirci

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan

Turkey wants to further improve bilateral ties with Uzbekistan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a joint news conference in the Uzbek capital Tashkent alongside his counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov following their meeting, Cavusoglu said: “We would like to strengthen our relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality in favor of both parties. We hope this cooperation and relation would be passed on to the next generations."

Turkey is also willing to host a presidential-level summit to boost ties, he said.

He added both countries would organize meetings as part of their joint economic council between May 24 and May 26 that would also see the attendance of Turkey's economy minister.

“Uzbekistan, as the cradle of civilization, is the source of stability with its rich spiritual heritage, strong state tradition and strategical location,” he said.

In his remarks at the news conference, Kamilov said both sides explored options to improve relations in key areas, including trade, tourism and health.

“A cooperation program signed between Turkey and Uzbekistan towards 2017-2018 would constitute the basis for further improvement of relations between two countries,” the Uzbek foreign minister added.

In February, Turkey and Uzbekistan signed cooperation agreement to boost economic relation at the Turkey-Uzbekistan Business Forum organized by Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board in Istanbul.