The 8th meeting of the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member and Observer States of the Organization of Turkic States hosted by the Institute for Strategic and International Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Tashkent on 14 October 2022.
The meeting that was held on the topic “OTS space: prospects to develop trade and economic cooperation and transport and logistics interconnectedness”, brought together representatives of the Center of Analysis of International Relations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies Under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Institute for Strategic Studies of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Center for Strategic Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.
Profile scientists and specialists from universities of Uzbekistan, including the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent State Transport University also participated in the Conference.
The welcoming and opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by Mr. Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Gayrat Fazilov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mr. Gismat Gozalov, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States.
Mr. Aripov noted that the 8th meeting of the think tanks of the OTS held on the eve of the upcoming Summit is also symbolic as the Samarkand Summit will be the first meeting of the leaders of the Turkic states in a new format after the name change of the OTS.He underlined that OTS is becoming an important element of the system of modern international relations, strengthening its status as an influential regional structure.
As the keynote speaker, Deputy Secretary Gismat Gozalov highlighted the enlargement process of the OTS since 2018, results of the Istanbul Summit, as well as contributions of Uzbekistan to the multilateral cooperation within the framework of the OTS such as the “Tabarruk ziyorat” project, development of relations in the sphere of agriculture, “digital TIR”, “ePermit”, and other strategic projects. Mr. Gozalov also specified that the forthcoming Samarkand Summit with adoption of the OTS Strategy for 2022-2026 and other important decisions will bring out new horizons for the Turkic World and further strengthen the practical cooperation between the member and observer countries.
The experts had detailed panel discussions on prospects of cooperation in the new geopolitical conditions, the untapped potential in the fields of industry, energy, agriculture and trade as well as transport and logistics connectivity of the OTS countries and shared their recommendations with the Secretariat of the OTS.
The heads of delegations signed the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation among the official research centers of the Member and Observer States for maintaining regular contacts and developing comprehensive cooperation in order to facilitate the further process of integration within the OTS.
The Parties also agreed to hold the next regular meeting of the Research Centers in Kazakhstan in 2023.
