The ISRS delegation headed by Deputy Director Shafoat Nurullayeva, took part in the 11th meeting of analytical centers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), which took place on September 29 in Baku.

The event, organized by the Center for Analysis of International Relations of Azerbaijan, was attended by prominent representatives of leading think tanks from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and Hungary.

During open discussions, forum participants discussed the dynamics of developing relations between Turkic states in the political, diplomatic, trade, economic, and cultural spheres.

Particular attention was paid to the promotion of strategic projects implemented within the framework of the OTS, such as the Middle Corridor, the Turkic Investment Fund, and the OTS Development Bank.

The ISRS Deputy Director Shafoat Nurullayeva presented a report on priority areas of economic cooperation among the member countries. She noted that the most promising areas in this new phase of cooperation are trade, industrial cooperation, transport, and economic digitalization.

The expert emphasized that Uzbekistan places particular emphasis on strengthening mutual trade within the Organization. Today, the OTS member countries collectively constitute the country's third-largest foreign trade partner, after China and Russia. In 2024, mutual trade volume amounted to approximately $10 billion, accounting for 15% of Uzbekistan's total foreign trade turnover.

To maintain and accelerate this positive momentum, according to the expert, it is important to implement President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's initiatives. These include the creation of the TURK-TRADE online platform, which will simplify and expedite trade transactions, and the adoption of a Practical Trade Expansion Program, which will facilitate increased exchange between the countries.

The ISRS expert highlighted industrial cooperation as the next area of ​​interaction. It was noted that Uzbekistan is actively promoting the development of this sector and supporting the creation of new enterprises with capital from the OTS member states. By 2025, their number reached approximately 4,000, an increase of 60% compared to 2019, and the share of such companies accounts for approximately 20% of all foreign-owned enterprises in the country.

The speech also placed particular emphasis on cooperation in the transport sector. As the ISRS representative noted, the Turkic states are demonstrating a steady increase in their transit importance in the global economy. This is clearly demonstrated by the volume of freight traffic along the Middle Corridor, which reached 4.5 million tons in 2024–almost six times more than in 2020. This growth, the Uzbek side emphasized, clearly demonstrates the strategic relevance of other infrastructure projects, including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

During the event, experts from Turkic countries and representatives of OTS Secretariat emphasized Uzbekistan's significant role in strengthening the organization. They assessed the initiatives of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as a powerful impetus for deepening interstate ties in the pan-Turkic region.

It was noted that today Uzbekistan is one of the key participants in the process of transformation of the amalgamated territorial communities.

Its contribution extends not only to strengthening the organization's conceptual and legal framework but also to improving its institutional and organizational mechanisms. Participants acknowledged that Tashkent is gradually becoming an important platform for dialogue, where issues of mutual interest to all member states of the Organization are discussed.