Türkiye and Uzbekistan will hold the fourth round of their Joint Strategic Planning Group in the Turkish capital Ankara, with the participation of their foreign, defense and interior ministers, as well as intelligence chiefs, aiming to expand cooperation in economic relations, connectivity, energy, and the defense sector.
According to diplomatic sources, the strategic planning group will meet in Ankara on Jan. 20 with the participation of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) President İbrahim Kalın and their Uzbek counterparts.
The sources recalled that the Joint Strategic Planning Group was upgraded to a 4+4 model with the addition of both countries' defense ministers, making the Ankara meeting the inaugural session in this expanded format.
They stressed the talks will primarily focus on bilateral ties, as political relations between the two countries are advancing in an excellent manner.
In this context, Fidan is anticipated to highlight possible measures for deepening collaboration in trade, the economy, energy, transport, agriculture, tourism, health care and cultural affairs.
He will also recall the need for intensifying efforts to increase trade volume from the current $3 billion to $5 billion in line with the commitment expressed by the two sides’ presidents.
On the international front, Fidan will stress that Türkiye and Uzbekistan should cement their cooperation in the multilateral platforms, particularly the Organization of the Turkic States.
The sources also stressed that Fidan will express Ankara’s expectations for deepening cooperation in the military, defense industry, combatting terrorism and organized crime.
The participants will also exchange views on the realization of the East-West Middle Corridor through the Caspian and the continuation of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan trilateral mechanism to this end.
