Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said Thursday that Türkiye is becoming one of the world’s new geopolitical power centers, praising Ankara’s expanded global influence during a joint news conference with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Turkish capital.

“Türkiye is literally becoming one of the world’s new geopolitical power hubs,” Mirziyoyev said, adding that Ankara’s “Century of Türkiye” vision is being implemented in a “systematic and consistent” way that resonates well beyond the Muslim world.

Erdoğan, for his part, said he is confident the Turkic world will “leave its mark on this century,” highlighting deepening political and economic ties between the two countries. “As long as we stand heart to heart, we are confident we will leave the Turkish world’s mark on this century,” he said.

Erdoğan noted that Türkiye has tripled its trade volume with Uzbekistan over the past decade and expressed optimism that bilateral trade will soon reach the new target of $5 billion.

Mirziyoyev began his official visit with a ceremonial welcome at Ankara’s Esenboğa International Airport, where he was greeted by Erdoğan, First Lady Emine Erdoğan, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and senior officials. He later inspected a guard of honor before being escorted to the Presidential Complex by 103 cavalry units, marking the 103rd anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.

The leaders held bilateral and delegation-level talks before attending the Fourth Meeting of the Türkiye–Uzbekistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council and a signing ceremony for a series of agreements. They later addressed the press together, affirming their shared commitment to strengthening political coordination and expanding cooperation across trade, defense, energy and culture.