Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will be in the capital, Ankara, on Thursday for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a string of deals.

The two countries already have a high-level strategic relationship, and Mirziyoyev’s visit may reinforce it further.

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. That same year, the two countries upgraded their relations to a "strategic partnership."

What followed next was economic committee meetings between the two countries, which have been postponed indefinitely in the past. A High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council was founded in 2018, with its first meeting held in 2020 in Ankara and the second one in 2022 in Tashkent.

Mirziyoyev visited Türkiye twice in 2023, while Erdoğan visited Uzbekistan to attend a summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Also, in 2023, Ankara hosted the seventh meeting of the economic committee, setting in motion an action plan for the next two years to expand commercial and economic relations.

The two countries are expected to hold the third meeting of the high-level strategic cooperation council during Mirziyoyev’s latest visit. Türkiye and Uzbekistan are also signing several bilateral agreements during his visit.

Türkiye and Uzbekistan enjoy a new era in commercial relations. Bilateral trade volume was slightly over $1.4 million in 2016; in 2023, it rose to $3.1 billion. Türkiye is currently the fourth largest trade partner of Uzbekistan. Turkish exports to Uzbekistan exceeded $1.8 million in 2023, while imports from Uzbekistan surpassed $1.2 million. Türkiye mainly exports machinery, electronic devices, furniture, lighting equipment, prefabricated structures, motor vehicles, textiles and food to Uzbekistan and imports plastic products, copper, zinc and cotton thread.

Last year, Uzbekistan joined countries dispatching assistance to Türkiye after the February earthquakes that killed thousands of people in the country’s south. Along with search and rescue crews and health care personnel, Uzbekistan delivered some 700 tons of humanitarian aid to Türkiye. In addition, many Uzbek citizens rushed to the earthquake-hit provinces to help with the search and rescue efforts. Separately, Uzbekistan is constructing 306 residencies for people rendered homeless by the disaster in the province of Hatay.

Türkiye and Uzbekistan also want to enhance their relations in education, health and culture. Last year, education and health forums were held between the countries. Uzbekistan hosts several schools operated by Turkish universities, and the two countries are working to establish a joint university in Tashkent.

Since Mirziyoyev took office in 2016, the countries have become closer. Mirziyoyev’s tenure also saw a landmark deal between the two countries, facilitating visa processes between the nations. This helped boost the number of visitors and, in turn, raised the number of direct flights, which is now 60 weekly.