ANKARA, October 27. /Dunyo IA/. On the eve of the 13^th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), to be held in Ankara, President of the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM), Professor Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, analyzed Uzbekistan's growing role in strengthening regional cooperation and advancing the organization, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

In his article entitled “Historic OTS Summit in Ankara – Post of Secretary General Passes to Uzbekistan for the First Time”, Head of the analytical center noted that the upcoming meeting takes place against the backdrop of global instability and intensifying geopolitical contradictions. According to his assessment, the chairmanship of Türkiye and the upcoming appointment of a representative of Uzbekistan to the post of Secretary General open up new opportunities for the institutional development of the organization.

Expert emphasized the special significance of the strategic partnership between Ankara and Tashkent, which is based on the close interaction between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Shavkat Mirziyoyev. In his view, the experience in multilateral diplomacy accumulated by Uzbekistan can contribute to the expansion of practical cooperation among the Turkic states.

Among the priority areas, Mehmet Seyfettin Erol highlighted trade and investments, transport connectivity, the development of the Middle Corridor, digitalization, energy and environmental security, as well as joint efforts to counter transboundary threats.

According to the author, the summit in Ankara could become an important milestone in the transition of the OTS from political dialogue to deeper economic and institutional integration, strengthening the positions of the Turkic world in the emerging multipolar system of international relations.