Almost 20 documents signed during Uzbek president's visit to Turkey

TASHKENT. June 7 (Interfax) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have signed a joint declaration following the third meeting of the Strategic Cooperation Council, and 19 documents covering a broad range of matters related to their multifaceted partnership have been adopted, Uzbek media reported on Friday.

In particular, the agreements on cooperation in energy development, scientific exchange, space sciences, technology and research, regional development, standardization, tourism, technical assistance in Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization and others were endorsed.

Bilateral documents on preferential trade, energy market regulation, and an action plan to expand cooperation in agriculture were adopted.

"The leaders identified priority areas of mutually beneficial cooperation and set guidelines for the future. They decided to hold regular council meetings, step up political dialogue, and effectively employ the Intergovernmental Commission's mechanism," a statement said.

The statement for the media cites data that leading Turkish companies are currently actively operating on the Uzbek market. Over 100 projects have been successfully implemented with the involvement of Turkish businesses. A portfolio of promising projects worth $10 billion has been set up during the current visit.

The parties agreed to systematically work on raising their bilateral trade to $5 billion, expanding the range of supplies, enhancing industrial cooperation, joint access to the markets of other countries, and creating new points of growth and special industrial clusters.

They decided to establish a joint Business Council, whose first meeting took place on June 6 and was chaired by the two countries' leaders.

Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to Turkey on June 6.