A project evaluation study visit of Organization of Turkic States (OTS) Drought Prevention Institute (DPI) took place between the 26-30th of August 2024, in the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border region. DPI operates within the institutional framework of the HEPA Hungarian Export Promotion Agency and focuses on the member countries of OTS. 

The aim of the study visit was to get to know the drought-stricken Fergana Valley and Batken region, assess local needs and identify project opportunities. The cooperation will provide an opportunity to promote domestic water and sustainable agricultural technologies, academic and research capacities in the field of water management and sustainable agriculture. The participants identified the possible areas of cooperation among others as sustainable water management, agriculture and irrigationsolutions. 

In November 2022 Hungary signed an agreement to establish the Drought Prevention Institute in Budapest in the framework of the OTS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It supports Hungarian water technologies to be transferred to OTS countries and help them address the challenges of drought.