Two countries at the heart of the region between East and West, Uzbekistan and Türkiye, seek closer relations. This was evident in a warm welcome to visiting Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday in the capital, Ankara.

Mirziyoyev was scheduled to attend the seventh meeting of the Türkiye-Uzbekistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council on the first day of his visit. Experts say the visit is an affirmation of the historic rise of relations at a strategic level.

The council meeting aims to establish a solid foundation for cooperation two years after countries elevated their relations to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" during Erdoğan’s visit to the Asian country.

Erdoğan and Mirziyoyev's meetings on several occasions expanded the scope of relations, especially in trade and investments.

Professor Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, chair of the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM), told the Sabah newspaper on Thursday that Uzbekistan made significant progress in economic and political fields. "New Uzbekistan, aiming to build the future based on the values it has inherited from its past, is on its way to becoming an important player in the global arena," he said. "The Third Renaissance, envisaged under the leadership of President Mirziyoyev, will be a significant step in realizing the great historical mission of reviving the spirit of Samarkand, making it a global center of knowledge, culture and innovation once again," Erol said.

Türkiye and Uzbekistan are scheduled to sign more than 20 deals during the council meeting.

The cultural kinship between the two countries, which are part of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), was the major driving force of relations. Türkiye was the first country to recognize Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As part of then-President Turgut Özal’s plan to deepen relations with Turkic-speaking Central Asian countries, Ankara sought to reach out to Tashkent further under the Islam Karimov administration. Yet, ties deteriorated over political differences in the following decades. President Erdoğan’s 2016 visit to Uzbekistan, a key country in the region with its location, history, rich cultural values and economic potential, changed the course of relations. Mirziyoyev’s visit to Türkiye in 2017, as the first sitting Uzbek president to make such a visit in 21 years, further reanimated the relations.

Speaking at the Türkiye-Uzbekistan Business Forum in Ankara on Wednesday, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said that they were working to reach a $5 billion (TL 162 billion) bilateral trade volume. Yılmaz said their ties were based on a common history and Türkiye and Uzbekistan contributed to maintaining peace and stability by cooperating on regional and global issues.