“The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is a priority platform for strengthening cooperation among Turkic nations, and it is essential to fully utilize this potential,” said Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, at the opening of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Trilateral Business Forum in Ankara on January 29.

The forum brought together Turkish Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov.

Hisarcıklıoğlu highlighted the numerous agreements between Türkiye and Azerbaijan aimed at enhancing trade, including the Preferential Trade Agreement. He expressed hope for the reduction of customs barriers to facilitate trade with both Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

Quoting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has described the Turkic world as Azerbaijan’s family, Hisarcıklıoğlu voiced optimism about the potential signing of a Free Trade Agreement between Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

He noted that Türkiye’s trade turnover with Uzbekistan reached $3 billion by the end of 2024 and emphasized that there are no obstacles to increasing this figure to $10 billion.

Hisarcıklıoğlu also underscored the importance of regional transport projects, particularly the Kars-Nakhchivan railway, and called for the swift opening of the Zangezur corridor. Additionally, he stressed the significance of boosting gas supplies through the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline.