Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and visiting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev display the signed agreement at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Türkiye, Jan. 29, 2026. Türkiye and Uzbekistan should deepen cooperation across political, economic and cultural fields, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.Erdogan made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Ankara. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
ANKARA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye and Uzbekistan should deepen cooperation across political, economic and cultural fields, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.
Erdogan made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Ankara.
Erdogan said that Türkiye was committed to contributing to the prosperity of Central Asia, adding that the two countries' institutions were working closely to achieve shared regional and global objectives.
Noting that bilateral trade between Türkiye and Uzbekistan has tripled over the past decade, Erdogan said that the two countries would soon reach their new target of 5 billion U.S. dollars in trade volume.
The Turkish president also thanked Uzbekistan for its support following earthquakes on Feb. 6, 2023, which killed more than 53,000 people in Türkiye. "We know very well how our Uzbek brothers and sisters mobilized for our nation as soon as they learned of the disaster," he said.
While addressing global crises, Erdogan thanked Uzbekistan for its principled stance regarding Israel's attacks on Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories. "At a time when our humanity is being tested, I sincerely congratulate our Uzbek sisters and brothers for courageously standing by the oppressed," he said.
Mirziyoyev, for his part, said Türkiye's international influence was steadily growing, describing the country as one of the world's emerging geopolitical power centers.
He said the Century of Türkiye strategic program was being implemented systematically, and the developments were welcomed in Uzbekistan.
The two leaders held bilateral and delegation-level talks before attending the Fourth Meeting of the Türkiye-Uzbekistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council and a signing ceremony for a series of agreements. ■
