Türkiye and Uzbekistan widen the scope of their preferential trade deal

According to Hürriyet Daily News, the five instruments signed on 29 October comprise the preferential trade protocol, a high-level business council, a social security agreement and its implementing arrangement, and a border information protocol. The trade protocol was signed by Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Laziz Kudratov, Uzbekistan's Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade. Anadolu Agency reports that the border protocol will share data on vehicles and goods electronically before they reach the crossing. The aim is to cut customs procedures and waiting times at the gate for both sides. Neither source disclosed which products the protocol covers, so its tariff impact could not be verified.

The figures show contracting outweighing trade. According to AA, Turkish contractors have taken on 333 projects in Uzbekistan worth more than 9.5 billion dollars in total, over three times the 3.1 billion dollars of annual trade in 2025. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz will chair the Turkish side of the newly created Business and Investment Council. The signatures came on the eve of the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States, held in Ankara on 30 October, where Türkiye takes over the rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan. A day earlier, on 28 October, during a visit by Kazakh President Tokayev, defence industry chief Haluk Görgün said defence cooperation would be expanded, though no contract or amount was announced.