Uzbek leader arrives in Ankara for talks with Erdoğan, Turkic summit

The Organization of Turkic States, or OTS, is a regional group involving five member states and three observer countries. Its leaders meet to coordinate shared priorities and strengthen cooperation. The Ankara summit matters because it links political discussion with practical economic goals.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is hosting the 13th OTS summit on Oct. 29-30. Leaders are expected to review progress on connectivity, investment and digital transformation. These areas can help countries cooperate more closely than trade alone.

The summit follows a meeting between Erdoğan and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Türkiye and Uzbekistan are also seeking to raise bilateral trade from $3.1 billion in 2025 to $5 billion. The gathering may help members identify future priorities, connect businesses and develop stronger industrial and regional supply links.

The article identifies five OTS member states through the leaders expected at the Ankara summit: Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It also says three observer countries belong to the wider gathering, but it does not provide their names.

The expected leaders are Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye, Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan. Senior representatives from the three observer countries are also expected.

This mix gives the summit broad regional participation. The leaders are expected to discuss connectivity, investment and digital transformation, while reviewing progress and setting priorities for future cooperation. The article does not identify which officials will represent the observer countries.

Türkiye-Uzbekistan trade reached $3.1 billion in 2025. The two governments now aim to lift it to $5 billion. This matters because the target measures how much the countries want their economic relationship to grow.

The gap is $1.9 billion. Reaching $5 billion would mean adding about 61% to the 2025 trade total. Erdoğan and Mirziyoyev set the target as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral economic ties and find new areas for cooperation.

The target is ambitious compared with current trade, but it is part of wider work. Ankara and Tashkent are seeking more joint investment, industrial production and access to third-country markets. The article presents the goal as a practical sign of deeper economic cooperation, not only a larger exchange of goods.

Türkiye and Uzbekistan want their relationship to cover more than ordinary trade. They are working to expand joint investments, industrial production and access to third-country markets. These areas matter because they can create longer-term business links between the two economies.

For example, companies from both countries could participate in shared investment and production projects. The key mechanism is cooperation inside the production process, rather than simply exchanging finished goods. Better access to third-country markets would also give their businesses a wider commercial reach.

This agenda supports the $5 billion trade target set by Erdoğan and Mirziyoyev. It also fits the broader OTS focus on investment, connectivity and industrial partnerships. If progress continues, bilateral ties could become more closely connected through production, investment and market access, although the article gives no specific projects or timetable.

If Türkiye and Uzbekistan reach their $5 billion trade target, their bilateral trade would be substantially larger than the $3.1 billion recorded in 2025. The increase would signal stronger economic ties and progress toward the goal set by Erdoğan and Mirziyoyev.

The target could support the cooperation already being pursued. Both countries are working to expand joint investments, industrial production and access to third-country markets. These activities can make the relationship broader than buying and selling goods, connecting businesses and production more closely.

The article does not promise a specific result or name a deadline for reaching $5 billion. It presents the target as a way to explore new opportunities and deepen cooperation. More trade, investment and industrial links could also support the wider OTS priorities of connectivity and stronger regional supply chains.

Connectivity, industrial partnerships and regional supply chains help countries turn trade into sustained economic integration. Connectivity links businesses and markets. Industrial partnerships help firms produce together. Supply chains connect the stages needed to make and deliver goods across borders.

The article gives this logic directly: deeper integration will depend not only on expanding trade volumes, but also on connecting businesses, strengthening industrial partnerships and improving regional supply chains. These mechanisms can make economic relationships more practical and durable.

The Ankara summit will let OTS countries review progress on connectivity and investment while identifying future priorities. Digital transformation is another focus. Together, these areas broaden cooperation beyond trade figures. They also fit Türkiye and Uzbekistan’s efforts to expand industrial production, joint investments and access to third-country markets.

A country’s foreign trade is the total value of its transactions with other countries. Exports are goods or services sold abroad, while imports are goods or services bought from abroad. Trading partners are the countries involved in those exchanges.

For Uzbekistan, foreign trade reached $81.2 billion in 2025. It included $33.8 billion in exports and $47.4 billion in imports. The figures show the scale of the country’s external economic activity and the difference between what it sold and bought internationally.

Trading partners shape that activity by providing markets for exports and sources for imports. Kazakhstan and Türkiye were among Uzbekistan’s major partners, with trade of $5 billion and $3 billion, respectively. Together, they accounted for nearly 10% of Uzbekistan’s total foreign trade, showing the importance of key bilateral relationships.