Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 6 July, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the informal summit of the Turkic Council under the motto "Building a Sustainable Future through Transport Connectivity and Climate Change Mitigation," held in the city of Shusha.

The event, chaired by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, gathered leaders from many countries: President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, Vice President of Turkey Jevdet Yılmaz, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, as well as Secretary-General of the Turkic Council Kubanychbek Omuraliev and Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Turkic Council Binai Yildirim.

During the summit, participants exchanged views on the current state and prospects of multi-dimensional cooperation within the organization, discussing practical issues of mutual interaction.

In his speech, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the symbolism of holding the meeting in Shusha, one of the cultural capitals of the Turkic world, and highly praised the extensive constructive work carried out in the Karabakh region under the leadership of Ilham Aliyev.

Particular attention was paid to the fact that within a short period, the Turkic Council has established mutually beneficial and extensive cooperation in over 30 key areas.

"The current summit is taking place against the backdrop of growing global threats and challenges, exacerbating the crisis of mutual trust. In such a complex environment, the time itself requires the development of common approaches and the elevation of relations between our countries to a qualitatively new level," noted the President of Uzbekistan.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev highlighted a number of priority issues for the further development of multilateral and long-term cooperation among Turkic states.

It was noted with satisfaction that trade turnover between the organization’s countries demonstrated sustainable growth, increasing by 27 percent last year, with similar high rates maintained this year.

"Today, our countries are resolutely focused on accessing major global markets and reviving the Great Silk Road under new historical conditions," emphasized Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

It was emphasized that thanks to the strengthening of the legal foundations of cooperation and the introduction of modern digital systems, the volumes of freight traffic along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route are steadily increasing.

The competitiveness of this corridor will be enhanced by the introduction of attractive tariffs for businesses. In addition, the importance of establishing a "Single Window" system and ensuring the continuous operation of customs and border checkpoints was highlighted.

The President of Uzbekistan pointed out the need for broad involvement of the recently established Alliance of Logistics Centers and Carriers of Turkic States in shaping the agenda and implementing priority tasks of the Turkic Council in the transport sector.

The Uzbek side also proposed establishing a Council of Railway Administrations within the organization, with its headquarters in Tashkent.

It was proposed to instruct the ministers of trade and transport to jointly develop a set of measures by the next summit in autumn this year for the most efficient use of international routes, complete digitalization of road transport, and creation of "green" corridors.

President of Uzbekistan placed special emphasis on joint efforts to combat climate change.

To systematically address existing problems in this area, it was proposed to establish a Turkic Ecological Council with its headquarters in Nukus, a major city in the Aral Sea region, which has been most affected by environmental disaster.

The President of Uzbekistan noted that today the voice of the Turkic world is increasingly resonating in the field of international climate cooperation.

In this context, it was emphasized that the upcoming Climate Summit (COP-29) of the United Nations Organization, to be held in Baku in November this year, will be a significant historical event for all Turkic Council countries.

Speaking about the importance of developing alternative energy sources, the head of our state announced that Uzbekistan intends to increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy balance to 40 percent by 2030.

"In particular, with the assistance of foreign partners, new solar and wind power stations with a capacity of about 2 gigawatts are commissioned annually," he said.

"We are also beginning joint work with Kazakhstan on the construction of hydroelectric power stations in Kyrgyzstan," Shavkat Mirziyoyev added.

To deepen cooperation in this area, it was proposed to approve the Concept of the "Turkic Movement towards Green Energy."

President of Uzbekistan emphasized the significant contribution of Turkic peoples to global civilizational progress.

"Our outstanding thinkers and scientists, renowned worldwide, laid the foundation for two great epochs of the Renaissance. This testifies to the high level of human capital that our peoples have long possessed," noted Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In this context, the importance of enhancing cooperation in creating a modern "knowledge economy," as well as in the field of digital technologies, for the development of the "creative economy," blockchain and cloud technologies, quantum computing, robotics, and workforce preparation for the "fourth industrial revolution" was highlighted.

In this regard, it was proposed to establish a Research Center for the Development of Human Capital of the Turkic Council in Uzbekistan.

In addition, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to host the Youth Turkic Olympiad in Exact Sciences and the World Congress of Turkologists under the auspices of the organization next year in our country.

The head of state also drew attention to the difficult situation in Gaza, where about 40 thousand people, including women and children, died as a result of the bloody war. He called for an immediate cessation of violence and the beginning of a peaceful process.

It was emphasized that the main condition for ensuring strategic stability and peace in the Middle East is the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.

Touching upon the situation in Afghanistan, where millions of representatives of Turkic peoples reside, the leader of Uzbekistan noted the importance of developing common approaches to this problem by the organization’s member states.

"From our side, Uzbekistan will continue to provide necessary assistance to the Afghan people. We are convinced that the return of frozen financial assets of Afghanistan from abroad will contribute to easing the social situation in this country," emphasized Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Following the summit, the Karabakh Declaration was adopted and agreements were reached on priority areas of cooperation.