On March 17, 2026, the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) hosted a meeting with representatives of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).

The TİKA delegation included Esin Acar Ergin, Coordinator of the TİKA Tashkent Program Coordination Office, and Farrukh Abdullayev, Program Manager in Uzbekistan.

On the part of the UWED, the delegation was received by the First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Rector of the UWED Sodyq Safoev.

At the beginning of the meeting, S.Safoev warmly welcomed the delegation and expressed his sincere appreciation for their visit. He emphasized the strategic importance of strengthening Uzbek-Turkish relations, with particular focus on enhancing cooperation in the fields of education, science, and academic exchange.

During the meeting, UWED representatives delivered a presentation on the University’s activities, its existing cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye, and prospective areas of cooperation with TİKA. It was noted that UWED currently maintains cooperation agreements with several Turkish universities, including Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University (Rize), Marmara University, Pamukkale University, and Ibn Haldun University.

The parties also discussed the development of academic and expert dialogue between Uzbekistan and Türkiye. In this context, special attention was given to the Uzbekistan–Türkiye Strategic Vision Forum held at UWED in October 2025 and jointly organized with Ibn Haldun University. Building on this successful experience, UWED expressed its intention to institutionalize the forum as an annual platform for academic exchange and expert dialogue among scholars, analysts, and representatives of government institutions from both countries.

During the negotiations, several key areas for expanding cooperation with the support of TİKA were discussed. These included the development of digital education and “smart university” initiatives, such as organizing IT forums, workshops, and hackathons, as well as supporting innovation infrastructure, startup ecosystems, and digital learning solutions. Particular emphasis was also placed on strengthening Turkish language education through capacity-building programs for instructors, provision of modern teaching materials, and the promotion of academic mobility and language internships.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their mutual interest in further developing cooperation. It was also agreed to prepare, in the near future, a draft roadmap (action plan) for the effective implementation of joint initiatives.