The 32nd anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence was marked by a reception at a hotel in Ankara.

The reception was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyar Saidov, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Serdar Cham, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Ankara Alisher Azamkhodjayev, Rector of Ankara University Prof. Dr. Neddet Unuvar, deputies, representatives of foreign missions and many guests.

In his speech, Saidov thanked the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for their contribution to the organization of the event.

Noting that Turkey has achieved great success in its past, Saidov said: "Today, the new Turkey, which is achieving unprecedented achievements in front of the whole world, is rising, the country's reputation is growing, as is its potential. The people of Uzbekistan gladly accept every success of Turkey."

Saidov said that cooperation between Turkey and Uzbekistan in the field of tourism has entered a new stage and that they are aimed at increasing this cooperation in all areas.

"We are in favor of further development of cooperation with Turkey," Saidov said, adding that there is great potential between the two countries.

Saidov noted that, like Uzbekistan, they want to accept more Turkish citizens, and said that their cooperation in recent years has reached a high level thanks to the will of the leaders of the two countries.

Stating that the number of companies with Turkish capital is increasing in Uzbekistan, Saidov said that they interpret these investments as an indicator of confidence in his country's economy.

Saidov shared information about his country's investments in tourism, saying that most of the visits to his country among the countries of the Islamic world were from Turkey.

"By the decrees of our president, the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan has been declared a special region that will develop based on the Turkish experience," Saidov said, adding that Samarkand is valuable for its Turkish brothers.

Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Cham stated that they always try to contribute to the development of bilateral relations, development research and tourism activities as a member of Turkey.

Stating that the work done by the states is very valuable, Cham said, "Infrastructure, legislative changes, meeting some big needs. But, of course, it is not enough just to do what the state does, but the private sector also has very important jobs. An increase in the bed stock, an increase in transport points, an increase in the number of flights, an increase in the number of seats, an increase in some needs and services, I see that there are very serious studies in this area. The tourist potential does not develop suddenly. We, as Turkey, have been continuously investing in this direction since the 80s."

Cham stated that he believes that Uzbekistan will multiply its achievements in the field of tourism, adding that they have love, respect and longing for these lands with great love coming from history.

After the performances, the guests were served dishes of Uzbek cuisine.

SOURCE:AA