Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS) Eldor Aripov is in Istanbul to attend the 26th Eurasian Economic Summit.

As part of his stay in Türkiye, he held meetings with the heads of a number of leading think tanks in the country.

Negotiations were held with the General Coordinator of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) of Türkiye Burhanettin Duran.

SETA is one of the leading non-profit research and analytical institutions in Türkiye, founded in 2006. Based in Ankara, it has offices in Istanbul, Washington DC, Brussels and Berlin.

The founder of SETA is Ibrahim Kalin, who is currently the chief adviser and press secretary of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The General Coordinator of the Institute, B. Duran, is a member of Turkish Presidency Security and Foreign Policies Council.

Eldor Aripov also met with Director General of the Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation Akkan Suver. ISRS and Marmara Group have been in contact since 2018 under the signed Memorandum of Understanding.

During the conversations, Eldor Aripov expressed sincere words of sympathy and support to Turkish colleagues in connection with the numerous casualties and large-scale destruction caused by a series of strong earthquakes that occurred in the southeastern provinces of Türkiye.

The Turkish side is grateful to Uzbekistan for prompt assistance and support in difficult days. On behalf of the President of Uzbekistan, a team of rescuers and military doctors, as well as humanitarian aid, were sent to Türkiye. Thanks to their efforts, it was possible to save dozens of lives and provide medical assistance to more than 4,000 citizens.

During the meetings, the Turkish partners showed great interest in the progress of the constitutional reform in Uzbekistan. It was emphasized that the amendments to the Basic Law not only strengthen human rights and freedoms, the state’s social obligations to citizens, but also expand the powers of parliament and political parties. They expressed interest in holding a detailed discussion of all constitutional innovations with the participation of experts from the two countries.

In addition, the parties paid special attention to the analysis of the prospects for the development of Uzbek-Turkish relations. It was emphasized that the establishment of a close and trusting dialogue between the leaders of Uzbekistan and Türkiye was a key factor that made it possible to bring interstate relations to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The meeting participants noted with satisfaction the increase in the dynamics of trade and economic cooperation. To date, Türkiye has become one of the largest trade and economic partners of Uzbekistan (4th place after the Russian Federation, China and Kazakhstan).

The volume of trade between the two countries in 2022 amounted to US$3.2 billion and more than doubled compared to 2017 (US$1.5 billion). Plans have been outlined to bring it up to US$5 billion in the coming years. 2204 enterprises with the participation of Turkish capital operate in Uzbekistan.

The participants of the meetings reached an agreement on the further development of the expert dialogue, the expansion of contacts between the analytical institutions of Uzbekistan and Türkiye.

In this vein, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ISRS and SETA. The document provides for the establishment of cooperation and regular working contacts through joint research projects, organizing forums, seminars and round tables on issues of mutual interest.