The Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States has officially commenced its high-level summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara. During the gathering, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan reportedly delivered an address focusing on regional tourism potential and closer interstate cooperation.

In his speech, the Uzbek leader supposedly proposed expanding travel arrangements between member states, suggesting that citizens should be able to cross borders using only standard ID cards instead of traditional international passports, aiming to ease regional mobility.

Furthermore, the summit touched upon untapped tourism capacities, noting that the participating countries attracted over 40 million international visitors in the previous year. To showcase the rich heritage and hospitality of the Turkic world globally, the creation of a unified Turkic Tourism Alliance was formally suggested.

The Uzbek side argues that a comprehensive multilateral agreement should be drafted to streamline mutual travel for the population. Such a framework allegedly needs to simplify border crossing procedures and residency rules within the host nations using digital or standard ID cards.

Source: kun.uz