On 14-15 October, Tashkent will host the next meeting of the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member and Observer States of the Organization of Turkic States, dedicated to the development of trade and economic cooperation and transport and logistics interconnectedness in the OTS space.

The expert meeting, organized for the first time in Uzbekistan by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, will bring together over 60 prominent representatives of the leading analytical centers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Hungary, the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as the OTS Secretariat.

Heads of transport and logistics companies, representatives of associations of international freight forwarders, road carriers, logistics, as well as profile scientists and specialists from universities of Uzbekistan, including the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent State Transport University are also invited to participate in the forum.

The agenda includes an expert discussion of the prospects for cooperation between the Turkic countries in the trade and economic sphere, the development of transport and communication interconnectedness, the intensification of partnerships in the field of introducing innovative technologies and digital solutions in the energy sector, industry, agriculture, and trade.

The program of the forum envisages the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the analytical centers of the OTS countries, which is aimed at developing further mechanisms for interaction to enhance cooperation in various fields, deepening the process of expert support for the activities of the Organization.

A final document will also be adopted, including recommendations on deepening and expanding cooperation in the field of trade and economic cooperation, transport and logistics interconnectedness and digitalization of economic sectors.

The event is held on the eve of the First Summit of the Organization of Turkic States at the highest level in Samarkand on 11 November, which is designed to open up new prospects for practical cooperation between the Turkic countries. A landmark event at the meeting of heads of state will be the adoption of the OTS Strategy for 2022-2026, which is in the process of active development.

The meeting of the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member and Observer States of the Organization of Turkic States was established in 2015 in accordance with the provisions of the Nakhichevan Agreement on the Establishment of the Turkic Council of 2009.

Uzbekistan has been participating in its work since 2019. In a short period, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward more than 30 initiatives and proposals for the further development and strengthening of interaction with the member states of the Organization. Among them, it is important to note the creation of the Research Center for Trade Cooperation of the Turkic States to develop proposals for increasing the volume of mutual trade, the adoption within the framework of the OTS of the Interconnection Program of the participating countries in the transport sector, the formation of a permanent platform of experts and IT specialists.

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