By Esra Tekin
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday welcomed Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with an official ceremony.
After Turkish cavalry greeted his official vehicle, Erdogan greeted Mirziyoyev at the main entrance of the presidential complex. After they took their places in the ceremony area, the countries’ national anthems were played accompanied by a 21-gun salute.
The ceremony also featured flags and soldiers representing the 16 Turkic states established over the centuries.
Following their bilateral meeting, Erdogan and Mirziyoyev are set to attend the third meeting of the Türkiye-Uzbekistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
After a signing ceremony for several agreements, the two presidents are also expected to hold a news conference.
In 1991, Türkiye was the first country to recognize the newly independent Uzbekistan, and diplomatic relations were established in 1992.
Ankara attaches great importance to the improvement of cooperation with the Turkic Republic of Uzbekistan in all fields and wishes to further develop its relations, benefiting from the close ties.