Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - The head of the representative office of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies in Almaty Asel Aben shared her views on the prospects for the development of cooperation between the member countries of the Turkic Council during a video conference on the topic: "Prospects for the development of cooperation between the CCTS countries in the new conditions."

Speaking at the event, Asel Aben noted that in recent years, cooperation between the Turkic-speaking countries has been actively developing. The Council has evolved into a new subregional institution.

The expert believes that in light of the pandemic, the member states of the Turkic Council must simultaneously maintain and strengthen the health of the population, as well as develop national economies. In these conditions, it is extremely important for the CCTS states to find new areas of interaction.

Firstly, one of the paradigms of cooperation is medical care, which is becoming an increasingly popular and rapidly developing segment of the global medical services market. The demand for remote consultation is very high during a pandemic. This market is expected to reach US$6.1 billion in 2021 and US$175.5 billion by 2026. According to the expert, cooperation and exchange of practical experience in the use of telemedicine can ensure effective interaction in the medical field during a pandemic.

Secondly, medical tourism is another area of strengthening cooperation between member countries, which has a positive impact not only on improving the quality of human health, but also makes a great contribution to the development of the national economies of member countries. According to her estimates, in 2020 the medical tourism market amounted to US$10.1 billion, and in 2021-2027 this figure is expected to grow more than three times, amounting to US$37 billion. According to the global medical tourism index 2020-2021, among 46 countries, Hungary ranks 23rd, and Turkey - 30th. Thus, the experience of medical tourism of these states (Hungary and Turkey) will be useful and necessary for other member states of the Turkic Council.

The online dialogue, organized on 1 April by the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was attended by Deputy Secretary General of the Turkic Council Gizmet Gozalov, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Analysis of International Relations of Azerbaijan Farid Shafiev, Director of the Turkish Institute of Foreign Policy Husein Bagji, Director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and Hungarian trade Marton Ugroshdy, as well as leading experts from IISM.