The president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is set to pay an official visit to Turkey at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, marking the first presidential visit from Uzbekistan in 18 years.

Presidential resources announced that the Uzbek president will be in Turkey on Oct. 25-26. Erdoğan and Mirziyoyev are expected to hold bilateral talks on the first day of the visit.

The significance of the visit was highlighted in a press release from the presidency that said: "As this presidential visit from Uzbekistan to Turkey after near 20 years has historical significance, it will contribute to the cooperation between the two friendly and brotherly countries in all fields, specifically in economic and cultural areas."

During his visit, Mirziyoyev is expected to visit Parliament and hold a meeting with the speaker, İsmail Kahraman.

According to the statement from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, issues of expansion of Uzbek-Turkish cooperation in political, trade-economic, investment, transport-communication and other fields, joint action to global and regional challenges and threats will be discussed at the high-level meetings, as well as international issues.

The statement said that following the visit, there are plans to adopt a joint statement of the heads of states, sign a package of intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents aimed to further development bilateral relations in various spheres, including the creation of favorable conditions for mutually beneficial relations between businesses in Turkey and Uzbekistan, intensification of tourist exchange, cultural and humanitarian contacts.

Erdoğan visited Uzbekistan as part of the efforts to revive bilateral ties in October of last year with a delegation that included ministers. Erdoğan's visit was covered extensively in the media. The presidents of the two countries held bilateral talks in various international meetings as well, including the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in May 2017.