Azernews.Az

By Trend

The year 2022 was particularly dynamic in Azerbaijan's relations with the countries of Central Asia, and thanks to the multifaceted policy of President Ilham Aliyev, it was possible to ensure a big breakthrough in cooperation with these countries this year.

During the year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Uzbekistan, as well as Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on an official visit.

The Presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, in turn, visited Azerbaijan.

As a result of the bilateral visits, the parties concluded many agreements for the benefit of productive cooperation.

For example, following the talks between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, a ceremony of signing 10 bilateral documents and agreements aimed at deepening joint cooperation was held in April this year. The most important document was the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, which brings the cooperation between the two countries to a qualitatively new level. Also, the Kyrgyz side met with representatives of the Azerbaijani business sector, where a Memorandum of cooperation was signed between the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO). The President of Kyrgyzstan, in his turn, called for investing in large and promising projects in the mining industry, hydropower, agriculture and other industries, together with Azerbaijan.

The visit of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Baku in August this year also marked the strategic and allied nature of bilateral relations between the two states, which was officially confirmed by the signing of the Declaration on Strengthening Strategic Relations and Deepening Allied Cooperation between the Two Countries, as well as a Comprehensive program for the Development of Cooperation for 2022-2026. Also, over 20 other important documents were signed during the visit.

Among the priority areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the coming years, the expansion of the capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), the laying of a fiber-optic communication line (fiber optic line) along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, and the diversification of Kazakh oil export routes are of utmost importance. The parties have already agreed to transport 1.5 million tons of oil through Azerbaijan from January 1, 2023, while further increasing these volumes to 6-6.5 million tons is being worked out.

In June this year, President Ilham Aliyev visited Uzbekistan. During the visit, a number of important documents defining the further development of relations between the two countries were signed. Among them is the Declaration on Deepening Strategic Partnership and Increasing Comprehensive Cooperation, which opens a new stage in bilateral relations. The most important areas of cooperation were identified as the expansion of trade and industrial cooperation. In addition to transport and logistics cooperation, the parties agreed on the joint development of the agricultural sector. Cooperation in the military and military-political sphere will also be one of the priorities.

The results of the Azerbaijan-Türkiye-Turkmenistan summit, which took place in the Turkmen city of Avaza in December this year, will make a great contribution to the development of transport and transit potential, and to the transformation of the three states into a single energy hub, which is of great importance for the wider region today. This year, the export of Turkmen gas to European countries through Azerbaijan and Türkiye has become one of the main topics on the agenda. The Memorandum of Understanding signed between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on January 21, 2021 in Ashgabat on joint exploration, development and development of hydrocarbon resources of the Dostlug field in the Caspian Sea will be of great importance in this sense.

Regarding the bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, it is worth noting that this year the trade turnover between the two countries has increased fivefold, which is a record indicator.

The driving force of Azerbaijan's interaction with the countries of Central Asia is, first of all, the transport and logistics industry, namely the joint development of trans-Caspian transcontinental cargo transportation. We are talking about the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM).

Thus, fruitful cooperation between Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia continues to develop in various fields - from transit transportation to bilateral trade and energy cooperation. Being one of the founders of the Organization of Turkic States, Azerbaijan has played a crucial role in uniting the countries of the Turkic world and developing relations between these countries to the current high level. Against the background of the global crisis and instability, Azerbaijan, like its Central Asian partners, understands that strengthening relations between the countries of the Turkic world is a primary task.

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