The members of the OTG are currently five States - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Organization for Economic Cooperation (ECO) also have observer status in the Organization.

"The Organization of Turkic states occupies an important place in the new world order and the system of international institutions that are being formed today," President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed, speaking at the OTG summit in Astana last year. - The territory of our organization, covering 175 million people, is also a region with great economic opportunities. I am very pleased to note that our country has established strategic partnership relations with all Members of the Organization."

It is worth recalling that the Organization of Turkic States received its current name on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan on November 12, 2021, previously this association was called the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States.

Today, OTG has become an effective international structure that promotes the development of practical partnership in all priority areas. The total GDP of the OTG states is 1.6 trillion dollars, and by the end of 2024, the volume of the economy of the Turkic countries is expected to reach 1.9 trillion dollars.

The main goal of the OTG is to strengthen trust and multifaceted ties between fraternal countries, develop cooperation in trade, economy, energy, tourism, transport, cultural and humanitarian spheres, and coordinate efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.

The conceptual basis for promoting this goal is the Program "Vision of the Turkic World - 2040", adopted following the results of the 8th summit of heads of state in November 2021 in Istanbul.

The member states have set themselves the tasks of developing comprehensive cooperation, forming a platform for discussion and deepening interaction, strengthening mutual trust, friendship, good neighborliness, as well as maintaining stability and security in the region and the world as a whole. The member States of the organization are interested in developing coordinated positions on foreign policy issues of common interest, including within the framework of international organizations and forums. An important goal is to promote regional and bilateral cooperation in all directions, create favorable conditions for trade and investment, free movement of goods, capital, services, technologies and simplify financial and banking operations, joint efforts aimed at comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development.

For Uzbekistan, which joined the organization in 2019, participation in this structure was an important step not only in strengthening economic and political ties, but also in maintaining and developing the common cultural identity of the Turkic world. Uzbekistan actively demonstrates initiative in promoting humanitarian projects and positions itself as a key partner in the implementation of programs for the preservation of common heritage and the development of cooperation.

In 2022-2023, Uzbekistan chaired the OTG. The beginning of the presidency was marked by the historic, admittedly, Samarkand Summit, held under the slogan "A new era of Turkic civilization: towards common development and prosperity" in November 2022.

During the period of Uzbekistan's presidency, more than 100 events were held, and a number of new platforms for practical interaction were created. Such structures as the Organization of Trade Unions of Turkic States, the Academy of Space Research, the Geographical Council, the Institute for Drought Prevention, and the Union of Notaries began to function. Close partnerships have been established with a number of reputable global and regional structures - the United Nations and its specialized institutions, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, and the Economic Cooperation Organization. During its presidency, Uzbekistan has sought diverse and flexible forms of interaction based on openness and inclusiveness, including various regions and civilizations.

A landmark event following the results of the Samarkand summit was the adoption of the "OTG Strategy for 2022-2026", which became the first "roadmap" for the implementation of the concept of development of the Turkic countries "Vision of the Turkic World 2040".

During the OTG summit in Astana on November 3, 2023, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev was awarded the "Highest Order of the Turkic World" for his outstanding contribution to strengthening the unity of the Turkic family, actively promoting the interests and views of Turkic countries in the international arena.

"I perceive this award, first of all, as a symbol of our close friendship and cooperation, which we have raised to a new level based on the true bonds of brotherhood," the head of our state said at the ceremony, expressing gratitude to colleagues.

Uzbekistan continues to take an active position, putting forward effective initiatives to expand and strengthen cooperation. To date, more than 60 initiatives put forward by the head of our state during the OTG summits have been implemented and are in the process of implementation.

Our country is actively involved in projects aimed at preserving and popularizing cultural and historical heritage, developing new trade and transport routes connecting Central Asia with Europe and other regions. In the field of education, Uzbekistan actively participates in student and researcher exchange programs, which contributes to strengthening ties between universities and research centers of the Turkic countries. Cooperation in the field of education is actively supported, including the creation of joint educational programs and academic platforms for the exchange of experience. An important aspect of Uzbekistan's initiatives is also the development of projects in the field of energy and environmental protection.

Today, our country stands for strengthening the financial mechanisms of the organization, in particular the OTG Investment Fund, which began its activities this year, as well as for the early launch of the organization's Development Bank, initiated by the President of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan's bilateral cooperation with the member countries and observers of the OTG is also characterized by positive dynamics. Thus, Uzbekistan has raised the status of relations with all the participating countries of the OTG, in particular to the level of strategic partnership with Turkmenistan and Hungary, comprehensive strategic partnership with Turkey and Kyrgyzstan and alliance with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

The scale of investment cooperation is steadily growing. In 2017-2022, the OTG countries invested more than $ 4 billion in the economy of our country, which is 8% of the total volume of foreign investments during this period.

Thus, the summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Bishkek will serve as a platform for putting forward new initiatives of Uzbekistan to develop and strengthen the potential of the OTG, and its results will undoubtedly become another starting point for building multilateral cooperation in the name of progress and prosperity of the Turkic peoples.

IA "Dunyo".