Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 11 November, in the city of Samarkand, under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a meeting of the heads of states of the Organization of Turkic States was held, the theme of which was "A new era of Turkic civilization: on the way to common progress and prosperity."

The meeting was attended by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of the Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban.

The heads of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), the International Turkic Academy, the Foundation for Turkic Culture and Heritage, the Secretariat of this multilateral structure also participated.

In accordance with the agenda of the meeting, the heads of states discussed the current state and prospects for cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. The issues of strengthening interconnectedness and expanding interaction in the field of tourism, energy and agriculture were considered. Special attention wasn paid to the development of effective mechanisms for interregional cooperation in the field of science and education, technology and innovation.

In his speech, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked the participants of the summit for supporting the initiative to declare the city of Samarkand, which is a symbol of peace and friendship, a center of science and education, the "Capital of Turkic civilization".

– The ancient Turkic land connected East and West for thousands of years, bringing world civilizations closer together and enriching cultures. We are rightfully proud of our common great ancestors, who wrote bright pages in the ancient history of the Turkic world, the head of Uzbekistan noted.

In the context of growing geopolitical confrontation, the negative consequences of the global economic crisis and climate change, it is extremely important to identify common approaches and coordinate efforts in solving the most pressing problems.

In this regard, during its chairmanship, Uzbekistan intends to effectively implement the concept of "Vision of the Turkic World - 2040" and the five-year Strategy of the Organization of Turkic States adopted today, strengthen the authority of the Organization, covering a vast region with a population of over 170 million people, and most importantly, to bring to even more a high level of cooperation between our fraternal countries and peoples having a common history, language and culture.

Based on a deep analysis of the activities of the Organization, the leader of Uzbekistan put forward a number of initiatives aimed at using the huge potential and capabilities of the Turkic countries.

The expediency of strengthening the foundations of trade and economic cooperation was emphasized.

- Mutual trade between our countries is only 4 percent of the total volume of foreign trade. The rest is accounted for by third countries. Of course, none of us can be satisfied with this state of affairs, the President of our country pointed out.

In order to fundamentally change the situation in this strategic direction, to ensure the free promotion of trade, investment and services, an initiative was put forward to create within the framework of the Organization a “Space of New Economic Opportunities”.

To achieve this goal, the leader of our state proposed to hold the International Turkic Economic Forum every year. The organization of joint events within the framework of the forum in the “state and business” format, meetings of entrepreneurs and round tables, presentations of innovative projects and exhibitions will give a great practical result. It is important that as a result of these events, annual "road maps" focused on the implementation of joint programs and projects will be adopted.

These measures are aimed primarily at a radical increase in the volume of mutual trade and joint entry into the markets of third countries, the creation of continuous value chains, high-tech clusters and venture companies.

Another topical issue on the agenda of strategic importance is the strengthening of interconnectedness in the transport sector.

“We talk a lot about the Trans-Caspian International Corridor, but in order to achieve significant results, we have to do much more,” the President of Uzbekistan emphasized.

It was proposed that the transport ministers develop a detailed plan and effective cooperation mechanisms by the end of the year, focusing on increasing the competitiveness of transit corridors in our region, introducing the most favorable tariffs for business, and creating a modern transport infrastructure.

It was emphasized that the first Turkic Agro-Forum, held this year in Tashkent, clearly demonstrated the huge potential in the field of ensuring food security.

“The organization has the ability to provide agricultural and food products not only to our countries, but also to supply them to foreign markets,” the head of Uzbekistan said.

To this end, it is necessary to pay attention to the preparation of a multilateral agreement on the establishment of an efficient food supply system, establish a full-scale partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, regularly hold the Turkic Agro Forum and organize an international smart agriculture exhibition.

The President announced his intention to consistently continue the work begun on the comprehensive support of the younger generation, revealing its talent and realizing its potential.

It was proposed to hold the International Congress of Science and Innovation of the Youth of the Turkic World in our country. On its site, it is planned to organize meetings of the ministers of innovation and education, rectors of universities and young leaders, talented young men and women, and elders of the Organization.

“In order to make this work systematic and ensure its effectiveness, we propose to introduce the position of Deputy Secretary General of the Organization for Youth Affairs,” suggested the leader of our country.

Another priority area is ensuring security in our region. The importance of constant contacts and strengthening of interaction between law enforcement agencies and special services in the fight against terrorism, extremism, youth radicalization, human trafficking, drug trafficking, in the areas of ensuring public and cyber security was pointed out.

I would like to draw your attention to another topical issue. Of course, today we are all seriously concerned about the situation in neighboring Afghanistan. The issue of resolving the situation in this country should not go out of our field of vision, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

Today, Uzbekistan has become a full member of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, and next year, as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Organization, the Festival of the Culture of Turkic Peoples will be held.

A 100-volume collection of "Pearls of Turkic Literature" in Uzbek has been published in Uzbekistan, which includes the best examples of literature from member countries and observers of the UTC.

“If we publish this priceless spiritual treasure in the languages of all participating countries and observers, it will become a solid basis for rapprochement between our fraternal countries, especially the younger generation,” the head of Uzbekistan said.

In order to bring the activities of the Organization of Turkic States to a qualitatively new level, increase its efficiency and use the full potential of cooperation, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan proposed to carry out institutional reforms in the Organization.

Attention was drawn to the need to create separate committees at the ministerial level in priority areas - politics and security, trade and investment, transport, agriculture, energy, information technology, tourism, innovation and education, medicine, youth and others.

“The active involvement of experts and scientists, representatives of the public and private sectors in their activities will undoubtedly give greater efficiency,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

In addition, initiatives have been put forward to approve the new structure of the Secretariat at the next summit and actively involve the Council of Elders of the Organization in strengthening the system of strict control over all decisions and documents adopted by the heads of state.

– The Turkic world has a great history worthy of admiration, great ancestors and incomparable wealth. And I am convinced that the Turkic world has a great future. We will definitely build this future together with our hardworking, generous and noble peoples. Our summit in the ancient city of Samarkand will mark the beginning of a new stage in the development of the civilization of the Turkic world in modern history, the leader of Uzbekistan said at the end of his speech.

As a result of the meeting, the Samarkand Declaration of the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States was adopted, aimed at further expanding multifaceted cooperation within the organization.

In addition, a decision was made to approve the candidacy of Kubanychbek Omuraliev for the post of Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States.