The establishment of Uzbekistan–Turkey relations: the first country to recognise it (1991–1996)
Turkey was the first country in the world to recognise Uzbekistan’s independence. This historical reference sets out the establishment of diplomatic, educational and economic ties between the two states in 1991–1996, with exact dates and facts.
After Uzbekistan declared its state independence on 31 August 1991, the process of international recognition of its sovereignty began. Turkey holds a special place here: it was the first country in the world to recognise Uzbekistan’s independence — on 16 December 1991. (Source: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Relations between Türkiye and Uzbekistan.)
The establishment of diplomatic relations
Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov visited Turkey in December 1991 — a signal of rapprochement with the newly independent Turkic states. Formal diplomatic relations were established on 4 March 1992; Turkey was among the first states to open an embassy in Tashkent, while Uzbekistan opened its embassy in Ankara. (Source: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)
An orientation towards the Turkic world and the first summit
After the collapse of the USSR, Turkey (first under President Turgut Özal, then Süleyman Demirel) actively developed cooperation with the newly independent Turkic republics based on linguistic and cultural closeness. In this context the first summit of Turkic-speaking states was held in Ankara on 30–31 October 1992, attended by the leaders of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. (Source: Organization of Turkic States — Presidential Summits.)
Educational and cultural ties
Education was an important strand of the relationship. Under the “Great Student Project” (Büyük Öğrenci Projesi, 1992) Turkey offered Uzbekistan some two thousand scholarships a year, and thousands of young Uzbekistanis gained the chance to study at Turkish universities. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), established in 1992, launched education, culture and development projects in the region. (Source: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Wikipedia — Turkey–Uzbekistan relations.)
Economic and transport links
In the early 1990s Turkish companies were among the first foreign investors in Uzbekistan — especially in construction and textiles. Direct flights to Ankara and Istanbul were launched, expanding trade and people-to-people contacts. (Source: Wikipedia — Turkey–Uzbekistan relations.)
The Treaty of Eternal Friendship (1996)
The high point of the early rapprochement was the Treaty of Eternal Friendship and Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Turkey, signed on 8 May 1996. It gave the two states’ relations a formal and long-term legal foundation. (Source: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)
The period that followed
In the late 1990s relations cooled and remained subdued for a time. They later intensified again, especially from 2016; but the foundation laid in 1991–1996 — the first recognition, diplomatic relations, education programmes and the Treaty of Eternal Friendship — remained the starting basis of ties between the two peoples. (Source: Wikipedia — Turkey–Uzbekistan relations.)
Conclusion
As the first country to recognise Uzbekistan’s independence (16 December 1991) and establish early diplomatic relations with it, Turkey played an important role in the country’s emergence on the international stage. The 1992 diplomatic relations and the Turkic summit, the education programmes and the 1996 Treaty of Eternal Friendship are the defining markers of this early period.
