OTS Deputy Secretary General highlights Uzbekistan’s initiatives

Tashkent hosts the 8th Meeting of the Official Foreign Policy Research Centers of the Member and Observer States of the Organization of Turkic States.

Addressing the meeting, OTS Deputy Secretary General Gismat Gozalov highlighted the process of expanding the OTS. According to him, Uzbekistan’s accession to the Organization gave impetus and vision to the Organization, “activating the development of cooperation in the most important areas”. Moreover, the accession of Turkmenistan as an observer “united all independent Turkic states in one organization for the first time”.

Commenting on the initiatives put forward by Uzbekistan within the framework of the OTS, the OTS Deputy Secretary General focused on the implementation of the “Tabarruk Ziyorat” projects, the introduction of e-TIR, and e-Permit.

He said that the “Tabarruk Ziyorat” project was discussed in detail at several meetings. An Action Plan was adopted, an agreement was reached between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to launch a pilot project. Confidence was expressed that the implementation of the project will help develop the economy and tourism, as well as strengthen ties between countries and regions.

To introduce e-TIR, a pilot project was launched in 2021 to digitalize customs procedures, and a green corridor was opened between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In turn, the pilot project e-Permit between Uzbekistan and Türkiye will be presented at the upcoming meeting of transport ministers in Tashkent on October 27-28 this year.

In conclusion, Mr. Gozalov said that the upcoming Samarkand Summit of the OTS Heads of State in November, where is supposed to adopt the Organization’s Strategy for 2022-2026, “will open new horizons for practical cooperation between our countries”.

G.Khonnazarov, photo by Alo Abdullayev, UzA