UZBEKISTAN IN THE TURKIC DIGITAL DIMENSION OF THE OTS

Global institutions are losing their regulatory authority, regional conflicts are reshaping logistics and economic alliances, while the technological race for artificial intelligence (hereinafter — AI) is increasingly dictating a new hierarchy of world powers. Against this backdrop, Turkic integration has evolved into a cultural and civilizational project — a unique platform aimed at strengthening trade, economic, technological, digital, and humanitarian cooperation among brotherly nations.

The very theme of the summit, “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development,” reflects the global shift in priorities. Digital technologies have become a new field of cooperation — from AI sovereignty to transport digitalization. It is precisely within this context that the speech of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, acquired particular analytical significance.

A key feature of Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s position at the summit lies in its focus on concrete institutional mechanisms shaping the discourse of unity. The President of Uzbekistan noted that the combined economic potential of the OTS member states exceeded 2.4 trillion US dollars in 2025, while their growth rates outpaced the global average by twofold. Uzbekistan’s trade turnover with the Organization’s member states increased by 14 percent over the same period. These figures serve as an operational basis for concrete initiatives.

Thus, Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined several priority areas of Uzbekistan’s initiatives, each possessing a distinct instrumental logic.

The first area is a strategic cooperation network in the field of AI. Uzbekistan proposed the concept of a “Digital Turkic Corridor” as an infrastructure project designed to connect regional data centers through high-speed communication channels.

This proposal is based on an already established foundation. In recent years, Uzbekistan has attracted six billion US dollars in foreign investment for the construction of data centers. Therefore, the initiative aims to expand the existing infrastructure base to the regional level. An additional instrument is the proposal to hold a Technology Forum in Tashkent with the participation of member states.

Importantly, Shavkat Mirziyoyev substantiated the AI agenda through historical continuity represented by such encyclopedic scholars as Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, Ahmad al-Fergani, Abu Rayhan Beruni, and Mirzo Ulugbek. They were described as predecessors of modern algorithmic culture. This approach integrates technological discourse into the logic of civilizational identity, granting it legitimacy that extends beyond purely economic expediency.

The second area concerns science, education, and youth. Uzbekistan is promoting the Tashkent Center of Islamic Civilization as a regional platform for consolidating cultural and historical heritage, combining its efforts with the Turkic Academy on a unified “big data” platform. Simultaneously, the “Five Million AI Leaders” program is being implemented, already engaging more than one million young people.

Another instrument is the proposal for all OTS member states to join the joint venture fund established with Kazakhstan to finance youth startups and AI developments. The designation of Khiva as the “Youth Capital of the Turkic World” in 2026 further marks Uzbekistan as an active center of youth diplomacy in the region.

The third area is transport connectivity and digital logistics. The President of Uzbekistan emphasized that the “E-permit” electronic permit system is already fully operational between Uzbekistan and all OTS member states. In our view, this is an important signal demonstrating that Uzbekistan offers not only intentions but also functioning mechanisms.

Of particular strategic importance is the linkage of the Middle Corridor with the under-construction China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway. The complete digitalization of customs data exchange — from cargo tracking to customs clearance — is intended to create a seamless chain of freight flows.

The fourth area concerns climate and environmental security. Uzbekistan’s proposal to establish an OTS climate risk monitoring system based on satellite data, including AI tools for managing transboundary water resources, reflects one of the region’s most acute vulnerabilities.

For Central Asia, water management is an existential issue. The Central Asian University for Environmental and Climate Change Studies, located in Tashkent, has allocated 50 grants for youth from Turkic states for the 2026–2027 academic year. The initiative to declare 2027 the “Year of Environmental Protection” within the OTS logically fits within this same track.

Particular attention should also be paid to the fifth initiative — the “Turkic Cybersecurity Alliance” — aimed at introducing mechanisms for the joint protection of digital infrastructure. At a time when cyberattacks are becoming instruments of geopolitical pressure, the establishment of a regional alliance in this sphere is moving from the category of desirable to necessary.

The proposal includes strengthening cooperation among the law enforcement agencies of OTS member states in combating terrorism, extremism, and destructive ideologies. The President especially emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in cybersecurity, training modern specialists, and ensuring оперативный обмен информацией.

Overall, the results of Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s participation in the informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Turkestan allow us to identify several key trends. Uzbekistan is consistently positioning itself as a supporter of integration initiatives and is actively generating them. The proposals put forward by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev are accompanied by concrete figures, functioning mechanisms, or invitations for joint participation, giving them substantial operational significance.

The geolocation logic is also noteworthy. Tashkent is mentioned as a venue for the Technology Forum, Samarkand for the Assembly of the Global Environment Facility and the World Water Conservation Forum, and Khiva as the Youth Capital of the Turkic World. In this way, Uzbekistan is shaping the image of a country with a developed system of diplomatic platforms capable of hosting and advancing a regional agenda.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the Turkestan Declaration adopted following the summit consolidated these priorities within the framework of the “Vision of the Turkic World – 2040” concept. For Tashkent, this became yet another confirmation that active multi-vector diplomacy is a practical policy yielding measurable dividends in the form of institutional influence and regional leadership.