Uzbekistan, Türkiye Explore New Horizons in Economic Cooperation

Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Türkiye Ilkhom Khaydarov has met with Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), to discuss expanding bilateral trade, economic, and investment cooperation.

Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Ankara, TOBB is Türkiye’s largest umbrella organization representing the business community, with 367 chambers and exchanges and more than 2 million member companies, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

During the meeting, both parties emphasized the importance of building on the positive momentum in Uzbekistan-Türkiye relations. Khaydarov and Hisarcıklıoğlu discussed the growing potential for joint ventures and agreed to further facilitate business dialogue across various sectors.

Highlighting his frequent visits to Uzbekistan, Hisarcıklıoğlu spoke of his participation in several bilateral forums and recalled his April 2023 meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, where he introduced the TOGG electric vehicle, a symbol of Turkish innovation.

A key part of the discussion focused on academic cooperation with TOBB University of Economics and Technology (TOBB ETÜ). Currently, 30 students from its Tashkent campus are studying in Ankara. Plans are underway to strengthen faculty exchanges and increase academic collaboration between the two nations.

The meeting also covered potential cooperation with the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Türkiye (TEPAV)-a think tank under TOBB-whose policy expertise may support upcoming joint initiatives.

Hisarcıklıoğlu noted the surge in sectoral cooperation since the beginning of 2024, particularly in textiles, footwear and leather production, construction materials, furniture and glassware, pharmaceuticals, and jewelry manufacturing. Talks continue on several prospective joint projects in these fields.

To further advance investment cooperation, the sides agreed to organize an “Uzbekistan Investors’ Day” in Istanbul in September-October 2025 and promote stronger interregional collaboration between business communities in both countries.