The 12th Meeting of Ministers in charge of Economy and Trade of the Organization of Turkic States and “Turkic World Business Forum” was convened on 14 September 2023 in Istanbul.
The meeting was hosted and chaired by Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye H.E. Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and attended by the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States H.E. Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Daniiar Amangeldiev, Minister of Youth Policy and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Adham Ikramov, First Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Elnur Aliyev, Vice Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Abzal Abdikarimov, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary H.E. Mr. Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Economy and Energy of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus H.E. Olgun Amcaoğlu.
In his welcoming speech, Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev outlined the role and activities of the OTS Secretariat in implementing the necessary measures and mechanisms for economic integration, expanding trade cooperation within the Turkic region and strengthening the competitiveness of the OTS economies, as well as developing a trustworthy digital environment that will boost e-commerce transactions of the OTS members among themselves and with the rest of the world.
Ambassador Omuraliev emphasized the importance of regional trade through the creation of a "Common Economic Space" and the prioritization of trade facilitation measures, including the establishment of a Trade Facilitation Committee and the signing of a "Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Services and Investment" in the OTS region.
Noting that non-tariff barriers remain a major challenge to intra-trade, he stressed that improving cooperation in the areas of customs simplification and harmonization of standards and regulations should be further strengthened.
The Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye stressed the need to continue joint efforts to strengthen the OTS as one of the leading organizations of the 21st century in the field of trade and economy by strengthening the foundation laid by the Presidents with new projects in the field of trade and economy.
Minister Bolat mentioned the important steps taken to remove obstacles to trade with the creation of favorable conditions by signing within the organization the "Freight Transport Agreement", "Simplified Customs Corridor Agreement" and "Trade Facilitation Strategic Document".
According to the Turkish Trade Minister, in 2022, the member states of the organization will export about $33 billion to each other, which is "6% of our country's total exports to the world". The common goal is to increase the share of intra-regional exports in the total exports of the member countries to at least 10% in the coming period in order to fully exploit the commercial potential of the region.
In their statements, the Ministers and the Heads of Delegations from the Member States and the Observers emphasized the economic and trade potential of the Turkic region, underlined the importance of the Middle Corridor, which connects Europe and Asia through a trans-Caspian transport route, for global trade and called for urgent measures to facilitate trade relations through comprehensive cooperation.
At the end of the meeting, the ministers signed a “Communiqué of the 12th meeting of Ministers of Economy and Trade of the OTS”.
Following the meeting, the ministers attended the “Turkic World Business Forum organized in the sidelines of the ministerial meeting.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Secretary General Omuraliev noted the importance of SME support and enhance cooperation among the business communities of the Turkic states and removing trade barriers, facilitating customs procedures and establishing free trade in this region.
The Chairmen of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Turkic States and Ministers stated that the diversification of the economic structure and economic integration among the OTS countries and the strengthening of entrepreneurship by turning to industry and trade are of great importance.
More than 250 entrepreneurs from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Hungary participated in the business forum and B2B meetings held after the opening ceremony.
The meeting was hosted and chaired by Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye H.E. Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and attended by the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States H.E. Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic H.E. Daniiar Amangeldiev, Minister of Youth Policy and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Adham Ikramov, First Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Elnur Aliyev, Vice Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Abzal Abdikarimov, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary H.E. Mr. Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Economy and Energy of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus H.E. Olgun Amcaoğlu.
In his welcoming speech, Secretary General Kubanychbek Omuraliev outlined the role and activities of the OTS Secretariat in implementing the necessary measures and mechanisms for economic integration, expanding trade cooperation within the Turkic region and strengthening the competitiveness of the OTS economies, as well as developing a trustworthy digital environment that will boost e-commerce transactions of the OTS members among themselves and with the rest of the world.
Ambassador Omuraliev emphasized the importance of regional trade through the creation of a "Common Economic Space" and the prioritization of trade facilitation measures, including the establishment of a Trade Facilitation Committee and the signing of a "Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Services and Investment" in the OTS region.
Noting that non-tariff barriers remain a major challenge to intra-trade, he stressed that improving cooperation in the areas of customs simplification and harmonization of standards and regulations should be further strengthened.
The Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye stressed the need to continue joint efforts to strengthen the OTS as one of the leading organizations of the 21st century in the field of trade and economy by strengthening the foundation laid by the Presidents with new projects in the field of trade and economy.
Minister Bolat mentioned the important steps taken to remove obstacles to trade with the creation of favorable conditions by signing within the organization the "Freight Transport Agreement", "Simplified Customs Corridor Agreement" and "Trade Facilitation Strategic Document".
According to the Turkish Trade Minister, in 2022, the member states of the organization will export about $33 billion to each other, which is "6% of our country's total exports to the world". The common goal is to increase the share of intra-regional exports in the total exports of the member countries to at least 10% in the coming period in order to fully exploit the commercial potential of the region.
In their statements, the Ministers and the Heads of Delegations from the Member States and the Observers emphasized the economic and trade potential of the Turkic region, underlined the importance of the Middle Corridor, which connects Europe and Asia through a trans-Caspian transport route, for global trade and called for urgent measures to facilitate trade relations through comprehensive cooperation.
At the end of the meeting, the ministers signed a “Communiqué of the 12th meeting of Ministers of Economy and Trade of the OTS”.
Following the meeting, the ministers attended the “Turkic World Business Forum organized in the sidelines of the ministerial meeting.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Secretary General Omuraliev noted the importance of SME support and enhance cooperation among the business communities of the Turkic states and removing trade barriers, facilitating customs procedures and establishing free trade in this region.
The Chairmen of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Turkic States and Ministers stated that the diversification of the economic structure and economic integration among the OTS countries and the strengthening of entrepreneurship by turning to industry and trade are of great importance.
More than 250 entrepreneurs from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Hungary participated in the business forum and B2B meetings held after the opening ceremony.
