7th summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States (Turkic Council), dedicated to 10th anniversary of the organization, has kicked off today in the capital of Azerbaijan. For the first time, Uzbekistan takes part in it as a full member of the Turkic Council. Hungary and Turkmenistan remain in observer status. The Turkic Council was created at the initiative of Nursultan Nazarbayev. Its founders were Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
According to Nazarbayev's idea, the Turkic Council was supposed to have all necessary features of political regional association, legal status, and certain organizational structures. However, due to the fact that states with different economic and political weight gathered in the Turkic Council, and since they're adhering different geopolitical orientations, complete integration couldn't be implemented. Right now Uzbekistan's membership in the Turkic Council can bring more radical changes. For the first time, the agenda of the summit includedwere economic issues - development of small and medium-sized businesses. Nursulatan Nazarbayev’s plans are beginning to see the light: last year at the Issyk-Kul summit of the Turkic Council, he proposed to use opportunities of the Astana International Financial Center for development of trade and economic cooperation, where, he said, all conditions were created for development of financial instruments, capital consolidation and attracting investors and financial experts.
Membership in regional organization has its advantages for Uzbekistan itself. According to Sanzhar Valiev, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies, situation has changed lately, and integration processes have intensified. Expert believes that in modern conditions, no state is able to independently develop full range of its capabilities in trade and economic sphere and in attracting investments. "By joining the Turkic Council, we are integrating into the Trans-Caspian logistics route, which is beneficial for all participants," Valiyev said during press conference in Tashkent.
This will allow Turkey and Azerbaijan to give their products access to markets of China and South Asia. This transportation route will allow Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to enter the markets of Europe and Middle East with lower costs. Issues related to cultural and humanitarian sphere and tourism development will also be addressed more effectively. The expert drew attention to the fact that cooperation also affects security issues. In particular, countries of the Turkic Council face similar threats and challenges related to development of extremist ideas, manifestations of radicalism and terrorism. In this regard, the organization provides mechanisms for cooperation between countries in the field of inter-regional security in Central Asia and the Caucasus. This does not imply that it's similar to military-political blocs, but it still envisages cooperation of law enforcement agencies and special services.
"On October 15, in Baku, our delegation won't kist take part in a meeting of the Council for the first time, but will also introduce a number of initiatives to develop the organization. Uzbekistan is a large Turkic-speaking state, after accession we will be the second country after Turkey in terms of population in this organization. Our accession was welcomed by all member states, executive bodies, and secretariat," Valiyev stressed.
Uzbekistan’s membership also meets interests of bilateral relations of Tashkent and Ankara, a new stage of which began when Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power. In October of 2017, for the first time in 18 years, Uzbek President visited Turkey. Ankara and Tashkent launched "strategic partnership 2.0". In April-May of 2018, Turkish President Recep Erdogan paid a visit to Uzbekistan, accompanied by several hundred Turkish entrepreneurs. This meeting resulted in signing of about 30 protocols that envisaged intensification of Turkish-Uzbek economic ties. This should be considered a fundamental point, since both Mirziyoyev and Erdogan attach great importance to economic component of their foreign policy. That's why they managed not only to restore Uzbek-Turkish relations, but also achieve significant progress in development of bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, including military-technical sphere.
It should also be noted that when it comes to development of their own military-industrial complexes, Ankara and Tashkent have similar approaches - development of production of military equipment, including at their own industrial bases through obtaining technologies for production. Since 2017, Tashkent has began creating joint ventures on the basis of free economic zones, which in the future will allow it to produce its own military products, primarily small arms of various calibers, ammunition, automotive armored vehicles, as well as uniforms and personal protective equipment. State budget provides around 50-70 million dollars for implementation of these projects. It's also planned to attract local and foreign investments in the amount of up to $120 million, including by providing serious tax benefits to foreign parties. Tashkent's position creates a “window of opportunity” for Ankara, since now it's able to create joint defense enterprises, primarily for production of small arms, automobile armored vehicles and personal protective equipment.
![November 2025 in photos: New Year at GUM, the "City of Living Stories," and autumn scenes](https://en.vestikavkaza.ru/upload2/s400xfull/2025-12-02/1764706769692f49d1538777.83780174.webp "November 2025 in photos: New Year at GUM, the "City of Living Stories," and autumn scenes")
