Mirziyoyev pledges 200 annual scholarships for Turkic states’ youth

Tashkent is ready to fund the education of 200 representatives from OTS member states each year. The proposal was presented at the summit in Ankara alongside initiatives on tourism, a common dictionary and joint projects.

Uzbekistan will provide 200 educational grants to representatives of Turkic states each year. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the announcement while speaking on October 30 at the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara.

The new grants will complement the existing “New Uzbekistan Scholarship” program, which allows 500 foreign students to study free of charge at Uzbek universities. The selection procedure and application deadlines for the new places have not yet been announced.

Делегация Узбекистана на заседании саммита ОТГ в Анкаре

Humanitarian initiatives

Education was part of a broader package of proposals from Tashkent. Mirziyoyev advocated creating a Turkic Tourism Alliance to jointly promote the region’s cities and natural routes, as well as preparing a dictionary of common Turkic words understood by speakers of different languages.

The Uzbek leader also proposed an agreement allowing citizens to travel using national ID cards, with simplified border procedures, and supported declaring 2027 the Year of Environmental Protection in the OTS.

Economy and the next summit

The economic section of the speech included the “Turkic World – 100” program, which envisages 100 joint investment and industrial projects, including with the participation of the Turkic Investment Fund. Tashkent also proposed a network of logistics hubs along the Middle Corridor.

Шавкат Мирзиёев прибывает на 13-й саммит ОТГ в Анкаре