According to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Uzbekistan, in January-July 2023, 39.6 thousand citizens of neighbouring Turkmenistan visited Uzbekistan for tourism purposes (a year earlier - only 1.1 thousand).
Overall, more than 3.8mn foreigners visited Uzbekistan, with Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey among the top five.
Turkmenistan, whose citizens must obtain visas to cross the border, ranked sixth. Official Ashgabat decided to withdraw from a visa-free agreement with the CIS in 1999.
The common border with Uzbekistan is the longest for Turkmenistan, some 1,700km. About 300,000 ethnic Uzbeks live in Turkmenistan and more than 200,000 Turkmens in Uzbekistan. Both countries are interested in expanding cross-border trade.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov
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