Madam President,

At the outset, we would like to express our appreciation to H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the General Assembly, for convening this timely meeting, and to thank Assistant Secretary General Khaled Khiari and Her Excellency Mahri Bashimova for their insightful remarks.

Türkiye shares profound cultural, historical, and linguistic ties with the countries of Central Asia. Since the early 1990s, we have stood alongside our Central Asian partners in their efforts to strengthen statehood and build resilient economies.

Today, we pursue a broad cooperation agenda across political, economic, transport, energy, environmental and cultural spheres.

We have established strategic partnership mechanisms co-chaired by our Presidents with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and we maintain Joint or Intergovernmental Economic Commissions with all Central Asian countries.

Türkiye is among the top five trade and investment partners of the region. Our trade volume with Central Asia has doubled over the past five years, reaching 16 billion Dollars in 2024.

Enhanced connectivity is essential for the landlocked countries of Central Asia. We support the Trans-Caspian East-West Middle Corridor initiative, which strengthens trade routes, attracts transparent investment, and promotes economic integration and sustainable development. Trilateral mechanisms, such as the second trilateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Transport of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan held in Ankara in January 2025, further expand these efforts.

We welcome the growing regional dialogue between Central Asian countries based on the principle of ownership. The agreement on the junction points of state borders and the Khujand Declaration on Eternal Friendship by Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan mark important milestones, and we warmly congratulate these countries on their achievements.

We also congratulate Turkmenistan on the 30th anniversary of its Permanent Neutrality and are glad to be among the co-sponsors of the draft resolution designating 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust.

Madam President,

In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm that, as a country deeply committed to regional stability, Türkiye will continue to support all initiatives fostering peace, cooperation, and prosperity in Central Asia and beyond.

Thank you.