Turkiye and Uzbekistan have signed five agreements to strengthen bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev seek to raise annual trade volume to $5 billion.
The agreements were signed at Turkiye’s Presidential Complex in Ankara on October 29, following talks between the two leaders on the sidelines of the 13th Organization of Turkic States (OTS) summit.
The discussions focused on expanding the countries’ high-level strategic partnership, with trade, investment, mining, transportation and the defense industry identified as priority areas for closer cooperation.
The latest agreements provide new frameworks for strengthening commercial ties, improving cross-border trade arrangements and expanding institutional cooperation between Ankara and Tashkent.
Five Agreements Aim to Strengthen Bilateral Trade
The five agreements were signed at Turkiye’s Presidential Complex following talks between the two leaders on bilateral relations and regional and international developments.
The package includes a protocol amending the existing preferential trade agreement between Turkiye and Uzbekistan, expanding the range of goods covered under the arrangement. The protocol was signed by Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat and Uzbek Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov.
Another agreement updates a 2022 arrangement on the advance exchange of information concerning vehicles and goods crossing the two countries’ borders. The measure is intended to improve customs coordination and facilitate cross-border trade.
The two governments also signed a bilateral social security agreement and a separate administrative arrangement governing its implementation. Both were signed by Turkish Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Isikhan and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.
The fifth agreement establishes a High-Level Council on Enhancing the Business Community, signed by Erdogan and Mirziyoyev. The council is intended to support joint commercial projects, encourage investment and strengthen cooperation between government institutions and private-sector organizations.
Trade Growth and Investment Links
The agreements come as Ankara and Tashkent seek to increase bilateral trade from approximately $3.1 billion in 2025 to $5 billion in the short term, with a longer-term target of $10 billion.
Turkiye is Uzbekistan’s fourth-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade reached approximately $2.4 billion in January-September 2026, comprising $1.5 billion in Turkish exports and $917.4 million in imports.
Turkish exports to Uzbekistan have remained relatively strong over recent years, rising from $1.84 billion in 2021 to $2.2 billion in 2024 before settling at $2.1 billion in 2025.
Machinery and mechanical equipment accounted for the largest share of Turkish exports last year, at $572 million, followed by electrical machinery and equipment at $194 million and plastics at $123 million.
Meanwhile, Turkiye’s imports from Uzbekistan have declined from $1.8 billion in 2021 to approximately $1.03 billion in 2025. Copper and copper products dominated Uzbek exports to Turkiye, accounting for $414 million.
Investment and construction are also important components of the bilateral relationship. Turkish construction companies have undertaken 333 projects in Uzbekistan, with a combined value exceeding $9.5 billion, reflecting Turkiye’s established role in the country’s infrastructure development.
Tourism has expanded alongside commercial ties. The number of Uzbek visitors to Turkiye increased from 272,604 in 2021 to 649,719 in 2025, representing a 138.3% rise over five years.
Strategic Partnership and Regional Cooperation
Beyond economic cooperation, the leaders discussed expanding their strategic partnership in areas including mining, transportation and the defense industry.
Erdogan reaffirmed Turkiye’s commitment to strengthening high-level relations with Uzbekistan and expressed confidence that cooperation between the two countries would continue to expand across multiple sectors.
The meeting also took place alongside the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara, which brought together leaders from across the Turkic world to discuss closer political and economic cooperation.
Erdogan expressed confidence that the organization would continue to grow through new cooperation initiatives, adding that he hoped the Ankara summit would mark an important milestone for the group.
He also invited Mirziyoyev to attend the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for November 11-12 in Antalya, Turkiye.
The latest agreements build on earlier efforts to deepen bilateral relations, including Mirziyoyev’s January 2026 visit to Turkiye, when the two countries signed agreements covering health, energy, finance and culture.
With a new business council, expanded trade arrangements and ambitious commercial targets, Ankara and Tashkent are seeking to translate their growing political partnership into stronger economic ties.