Open, friendly relations between states, first of all, serve the interests of these countries, contribute to the development of trade, strengthen the friendship between peoples.
As a journalist, I have been observing such relations between Türkiye and Uzbekistan for many years.
It is known that journalists are attentive, pedantic and receptive people. In 2006, we founded the newspaper “News of Türkiye-Bosphorus” published in Türkiye. This is the first newspaper that began to appear in our country in Russian.
Almost all relevant topics have been covered on the pages of the publication for 16 years. There were many articles about Uzbekistan. During the “cold” period in our relations, there were those among our colleagues who said: “Uzbekistan should open its eyes”.
Other colleagues tormented me saying “Why are you praising Uzbekistan? Such a country should only be criticized”. We, the “Bosphorus”, tried not to pay attention to it.
I simply answered them: “First of all, Uzbekistan and Türkiye are brother countries. Don’t sow dislike among brothers. Maybe soon brother countries will unite. In the meantime, we need to ask Allah for patience for both sides”.
I spoke about this twelve or fifteen years ago. Everything came true in 2016. In the autumn of that year, the Head of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, flew to Samarkand to honor the memory of the First President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov.
After the mourning event, he held talks with Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The opinions of the leaders of the two states converged. The leaders on the same day determined the goal: without delay, take measures to improve relations.
I think there is a good reason that the two leaders quickly understood each other. Both leaders were at the head of governments, then they began to lead states. Erdogan served as Prime Minister in 2003-2015, that is, 12 years, Mirziyoyev – from 2003 to 2016, for 13 years.
I think both Presidents are pragmatists and far-sighted leaders. I can frankly say that thanks to the cooperation of our countries, today, under the leadership of these leaders, Uzbekistan – Türkiye relations in all areas can serve as an example for many states.
In a short time, the number of mutual trips to the two countries increased so much that we, journalists, got confused in counting and observing their number.
Almost every issue of our newspaper publishes information and articles that, for example, yesterday the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan held talks in Ankara, today a Turkish delegation is leaving for Tashkent, tomorrow the “Lazgi” ensemble will give a concert in Istanbul, then in Bursa… Knock on wood!
I am also glad that in recent years the authority of Uzbekistan has been growing not only in Türkiye but throughout the world. After all, today it has become common for the Head of the state to pay 4-5 visits to other states a year, and to receive the leaders of many countries in Tashkent. During the pandemic, international affairs continued via videoconference. Virtual forums of the G7, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and other international events took place.
I remember exactly that at the meeting of the UN General Assembly in 2020, the President of Uzbekistan delivered his first speech in the Uzbek language. At the 75th session, Shavkat Mirziyoyev made several important proposals. Including, “Determine the issue of the fight against poverty as one of the main ones at the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly, as well as organize a global summit dedicated to this problem”.
Meanwhile, it is one thing to consider poverty and misery issues, and another thing to eliminate these problems. I know that there is an “Iron Notebook” in Uzbekistan, that is, hokimiyats (local authorities) strictly control the provision of assistance to the socially vulnerable population. According to the data, approximately half of the world’s families currently live in poverty, and Uzbekistan’s experience is a ready-made program for countries unable to eliminate poverty.
At the SCO Summit in 2020, the Head of Uzbekistan called on the participants of the event to support the process of a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan and to involve this country in regional trade and economic ties. In this regard, within the framework of the SCO – Afghanistan Contact Group, it was proposed to adopt an Action Plan to assist in the socio-economic reconstruction of Afghanistan.
I would also like to express my opinion on Afghanistan. How much longer will the Afghan people have to live in torment? Uzbekistan extends a helping hand to this country. In particular, I am aware that the airport in Mazar-i-Sharif has been renovated, there are no interruptions in the supply of electricity. The launch of the Uzbekistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan international railway will benefit many nations.
Observing the far-sighted policy of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, we are aware of what opportunities will the use of the port of Karachi provide to Uzbekistan in the future. At the same time, we published several articles in the “Bosphorus” newspaper that Uzbekistan regularly sends humanitarian aid to the Afghan people affected by the earthquake and landslides.
Uzbekistan became a member of the Organization of Turkic States (formerly the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States) back in 1992 but subsequently did not participate in its activities. The Turkic world could not be imagined without Uzbekistan. Our great-grandfathers came to Türkiye from these lands. Without it, the Organization felt incomplete as without a country with a large population and a convenient geographical location.
With the accession of Uzbekistan in September 2019, the Turkic world became full-fledged again in its ranks. Immediately, like other international communities, it became a solid and respected organization. This historic event thanks to Shavkat Mirziyoyev made a feasible contribution to strengthening cooperation between the countries of the Turkic world.
Charles de Gaulle (France), Konrad Adenauer (Germany), George Washington (U.S.) and other figures who left an indelible mark on world history are still remembered with kind words. In recent history, China’s progress was associated primarily with the name Mao Zedong, and then with Deng Xiaoping. It is impossible to imagine Türkiye without Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Adnan Menderes, Turgut Ozal and Erdogan. When mentioning these names, the image of the Leader of Uzbekistan involuntarily appears before my eyes. Perhaps the reason for this is that he is a political reformer who is striving with all his might to ensure that his native country joins the ranks of the leading states of the world...
UzA
