Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 21 May, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Budapest under the chairmanship of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The meeting was attended by the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev; Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov; Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; as well as the Secretary-General of the Organization of Turkic States, Kubanychbek Omuraliev.

During the summit, the heads of state exchanged views on the current state and prospects for deepening multilateral partnership within the Organization, discussing pressing issues of cooperation in political, economic, and humanitarian spheres.

In his address, the President of Uzbekistan provided a comprehensive assessment of the global situation, describing it as unstable amid escalating geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions, rising conflicts, and worsening environmental conditions. In this context, he emphasized the importance of developing coordinated approaches among the Turkic states to tackle international challenges, relying on the principles of international law and the provisions of the UN Charter.

The Uzbek leader highlighted the need to more actively leverage the Organization’s internal potential and put forward a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening practical cooperation.

In the political dimension, the relevance of concluding the Treaty on Strategic Partnership, Eternal Friendship, and Brotherhood among Turkic States, proposed by the Uzbek side, was noted. According to the President, this document will be an important step toward strengthening the legal framework for multifaceted interaction and bringing the peoples closer together.

Significant attention was given to economic partnership issues. To expand mutual trade, Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed the creation of the electronic platform “TURK-TRADE” and the adoption of a Practical Program to increase trade turnover. To simplify procedures in transport and logistics, he suggested accelerating the implementation of “single window” systems and “green corridors” along the Trans-Caspian route. An International Forum of Turkic States on Multimodal Transport and Logistics will be held in Tashkent in November.

The head of state highly appreciated the establishment of the Turkic Investment Fund and proposed creating a Joint Venture Company to support innovative projects, as well as launching a unified investment portal for the Organization’s member countries.

For the development of industrial cooperation, the President suggested developing a special program focused on launching joint production facilities in key sectors: chemical, energy, mining, light industry, pharmaceuticals, leather and footwear, food, and construction.

Addressing climate challenges, the Uzbek leader noted the significance of the recent International Climate Forum held in Samarkand, where initiatives to expand cooperation in the field of “green” development were put forward. He supported the Hungarian Prime Minister’s proposal to establish a Drought Prevention Institute in Budapest and proposed jointly developing a “roadmap” to combat desertification and other environmental challenges.

The President also emphasized the importance of humanitarian interaction. He specifically highlighted the role of science, education, and culture in strengthening ties between countries. In this context, he announced the opening of the International University of Turkic States in Tashkent, which will serve as a platform for training a new generation of specialists.

Proposals were also voiced to improve the functioning of the International Organization of Turkic Culture — TURKSOY, and to hold the next meeting of the Council of the Turkic Culture Fund in Uzbekistan.

Concluding his speech, Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated Nobel laureate and distinguished Turkish scientist Aziz Sancar on being awarded the International Alisher Navoi Prize.

Following the summit, the Budapest Declaration and several other joint documents aimed at further developing cooperation among the Organization’s countries were adopted.