Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 14 July 2022, within the framework of the state visit of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the Republic of Uzbekistan, an agreement on cooperation was signed between the International Institute of Central Asia and the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

The document envisages the support of mutual visits, contacts, exchange of experience and opinions, as well as the adoption of joint efforts to create a stable mechanism for cooperation.

in the following areas:

- political research and study of regional security problems;

- socio-cultural research;

- research in the humanities;

- organizing forums, seminars, conferences, round tables, briefings, as well as holding consultative meetings once a year, including through videoconferencing.

Earlier, on 12 July, the International Institute of Central Asia hosted a conference on the topic: “Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Prospects for development at a new historical stage of interaction”. The organizers of the event were: MICA together with the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

On the eve of the visit of the President of Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan, the leading information resources of the country "Turkmenportal" and "News Central Asia" published articles on the results of the international conference held in Tashkent on the prospects for bilateral cooperation at a new historical stage.

The article titled “Expert and academic community discussed prospects for the development of relations between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Tashkent” notes that experts from both countries exchanged views on future directions for the development of a multifaceted strategic Turkmen-Uzbek dialogue, which is important not only from the point of view of bilateral relations, but and has a significant impact on ensuring the progressive development of the entire Central Asian region.

The author informs that in 2021 the trade turnover between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan increased to US$902 million, while in 2016 mutual trade slightly exceeded US$200 million.

The publication cites the words of the director of the International Institute of Central Asia Anvar Nasirov, who says that "last year, Turkmenistan entered the top ten countries in terms of volume and growth rates in the export of goods and services of Uzbekistan."

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan provide mutual support, actively interact within the framework of international and regional structures such as the UN, the CIS, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Turkic States and others.

Also, earlier the Turkmen news agency “Orient” published an article dedicated to the conference held yesterday at the International Institute of Central Asia (ICA) on the topic “Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Prospects for development at a new historical stage of interaction”.

The article titled “Ashgabat and Tashkent assessed the prospects for the development of dialogue in the new conditions” notes that the expert community of the two countries considered the current state of bilateral cooperation, ways to expand it, as well as interaction within the framework of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia.

At the forum, Turkmenistan was also represented by the Center for Strategic Studies at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International University for the Humanities, the Magtymguly Institute of Language, Literature and National Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences, and the National Cultural Center, writes Orient.

It is emphasized that as a result of the event, the experts developed specific initiatives and proposals aimed at further developing the dialogue.