Turkey and Uzbekistan Expand Higher Education and Strategic Cooperation

Turkey's Council of Higher Education President Erol Özvar met with Uzbekistan's Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Erkinjon Oqbutayevich Turdimov to discuss bilateral higher education and scientific research relations. Özvar stated that the Turkish-Uzbek Universities Forum held this year was productive and that increasing scientific research and joint projects is a target. He added that programs to bring researchers from both countries together are planned, with renewable energy, optics, artificial intelligence and computing among the priority fields.

Özvar also emphasized the historical significance of the International Turkic Universities University in Tashkent for the Turkic world. During his visit, he met with Rector Bakhodir Turaev. The university, established through a protocol signed between Turkey's Council of Higher Education, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the Higher Education Rectors' Conference, bases its curricula on Turkish higher education institutions.

“Türkiye ile Özbekistan arasındaki ilişkilerin ortak tarih, dil, kültür ve medeniyet birikimine dayandığını vurguladı.”

In a separate meeting, Özvar met with Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Science, Higher Education and Innovation Gulzat Tiniybekovna Isamatova. Isamatova expressed satisfaction with the expansion of higher education relations and said they are ready to sign a protocol to further advance cooperation between the two countries.

Separately, a roundtable titled "Towards a New Uzbekistan by 2030: Gains of Reforms, Uzbekistan-Turkey Strategic Partnership and Cooperation within the Framework of the Organization of Turkic States" was held in Ankara under the Turkish World Dialog Forum organized by the Presidency's Communications Directorate. Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Ankara İlham Haydarov moderated the session.

TİKA Deputy President Buğra Aydın stated that more than 300 projects have been completed in Uzbekistan through TİKA since 1992, covering education, health, cultural heritage protection and social development. He said these efforts have strengthened trust and solidarity between the two countries. Uzbekistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Şuhrat Yiğitaliyev noted that Turkey-Uzbekistan relations have reached an important level in the last ten years thanks to the political will of both leaders.