By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Think tanks of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The signing ceremony took place within the framework of the 8th meeting of the official centers for foreign policy studies of the OTS’s member countries and observers. The meeting was dedicated to the development of trade and economic cooperation, as well as transport and logistics interconnectedness in the OTS space.

The signed document was aimed at creating conditions for maintaining regular contacts and developing comprehensive cooperation between the participants in order to facilitate the further process of integration within the organization.

Talking about the memorandum, First Deputy Director of Uzbekistan’s Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISRS) noted that the document will give an additional impetus to the overall process of expert support for the activities of the OTS, as well as the development of cooperation between the organization’s research and analytical centers.

During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues, including foreign policy and security, regional sustainable development, promotion of foreign economic relations, and other relevant areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.

The sides also exchanged views on various forms and mechanisms of interaction, including the exchange of experts, scientific publications, research and preparation of scientific papers, joint organization of conferences, meetings, seminars, and training programs.

The expert meeting, organized for the first time in Uzbekistan by ISRS, brought together over 60 prominent representatives of the leading think tanks of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkiye, Hungary, and the OTS Secretariat.

Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan were established on October 2, 1995. The embassy of Azerbaijan in Uzbekistan was established in August 1996, while the embassy of Uzbekistan in Azerbaijan was opened in July 1998.

The friendly relations between the two countries are based on shared values ??and historical ties, as well as a number of joint statements and agreements signed during bilateral visits and meetings.

The volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan amounted to $111.9 million in 2021.