Marmara Group Foundation Delegation consisting of Dr. Akkan Suver, Ertuğrul Kumcuoğlu, Sezgin Bilgiç, Elif Arıkan, Av. Turan Hançerli, Öncücan Sönmez and Av. Hayrettin Çil, who continued their contacts in Tashkent, held a joint workshop with Uzbekistan Strategy Development Center.

In the workshop held with the Strategy Development Center chaired by Eldor Tulyakov: Ambassador of Turkey Olgan Bekar, Bursa MP Osman Mesten and Tokat MP Kadim Durmaz were also present. Turkish - Uzbek relations were discussed at the workshop.

After the workshop, Ambassador of Turkey Olgan Bekar hosted a big reception on the occasion of October 29th Republic Day.

Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov also attended the reception.

Below is Dr. Akkan Suver's speech at the workshop:

Dr. Akkan Suver’s Uzbekistan Speech
Dr. Akkan Suver
My dear friend Eldor Tulyakov,
Today we are here together again.
First of all, we would like to inform your high delegation that the Republic of Türkiye, which was founded on October 29, 1923, celebrates its 101st anniversary today.
I would like to start my speech with the pride of today, which coincides with the 101st anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, which was established as a result of the Turkish War of Independence.
The high level of relations between the Marmara Group Foundation and the Uzbekistan Development Center is an exemplary cooperation in the social, cultural and economic relations of Uzbekistan and Türkiye.
The strength of our cooperation comes from our high faith in each other and our unity.
With this strength, I would like to start my speech with the responsibility that the bond of brotherhood between Uzbekistan and Türkiye is based on the common history and cultural heritage of the Turkestan geography.
In the meantime, I would like to state with great sincerity that we, as Marmara Group Foundation, are very happy to watch Uzbekistan's achievements in Istanbul.
Therefore, an important issue in this field that I would like to share with your delegation is the admission of Uzbekistan to the CSP+ membership of the European Union.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Uzbek brothers and sisters on their high achievement.
Again, a great example of the great importance that our Uzbek brothers attach to peaceful coexistence with their neighbors is the fact that they have managed to eliminate passports with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and to come and go with ID cards.
You have also created a free zone on the border with Afghanistan in the city of Tirimiz in Surhanderya, giving Afghan people a breathing space.
We would like you to know that we are very happy to follow these achievements in Istanbul with our civil society identity.
By the way, I should mention that Uzbekistan was among us with a high level of participation in the 27th Eurasian Economic Summit, which we held in February this year.
Mr. Eldor Tulyakov, Mr. Vladimir Norov, Mr. Otaxodjayev Anvar, Mr. Shavkat Abdurazakov, Mr. Salokhaddin Samadov, Mr. Farrukhjan Dadajanov, Mr. Dilmurod Djumabayev, Mr. Anvar Ikramov, Mr. Azimjon Yuldashev, Mr. Otabek Rasulov, and their friends honored us with their high participation.
On the other hand, we see that our cultural ties are developing and growing rapidly in all areas.
We witnessed one of Uzbekistan's valuable examples in its own cultural field at the performances of Ali Şir Nevai Opera and Ballet in Istanbul last month.
Ali Şir Nevai Opera and Ballet conquered hearts in Istanbul with their performances watched by thousands of people.
Having said all this, I would like to share another important point with your high committee.
I would like you to know that there are currently three thousand students studying at Istanbul Universities alone, and six thousand Uzbek students in primary, middle and high schools.
Why am I telling you all this?
Today, when there are various evaluations about the concept of friend, Türkiye -Uzbekistan relations are a good example of how respect and trust should be.
It is also a fact that Uzbekistan and Türkiye contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability by cooperating on regional and global issues.
In the meantime, I would like to note with great satisfaction that our country has become one of the leading actors in Uzbekistan's foreign trade.
We are pleased with this. Türkiye is the third largest exporter and the fifth largest importer of Uzbekistan. Our bilateral trade with Uzbekistan exceeded 3.1 billion dollars last year. Compared to 5 years ago, we are talking about a figure that has doubled. But we have not yet reached our targets. We plan to achieve results closer to the targets every year. Another issue that we attach as much importance as bilateral trade is increasing investments. Our direct investments in Uzbekistan have reached 1.5 billion dollars. Our contractors, who complete every project they undertake, regardless of the country, in the fastest and highest quality manner, have so far undertaken 286 projects worth 7.5 billion dollars in Uzbekistan.
In the area of technology and R&D, Türkiye supports Uzbek investors' investments in technology and innovation with its advanced technoparks and innovative entrepreneurship ecosystem. Thanks to Türkiye’s high standards of healthcare services and modern facilities, the healthcare sector and medical tourism also stand out as a profitable and sustainable investment area. I believe that we will expand the sectors subject to trade and increase mutual investments on a win-win basis.
With these feelings, I greet your high delegation with respect and hope that our work and cooperation will bring new opportunities to the Turkish-Uzbek unity.