Aliyev: Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan 'natural partners' on East-West routes

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday described his country and Uzbekistan as "natural partners" along strategic East-West transport routes, citing their geographic positions in the South Caucasus and Central Asia during an interview with Uzbekistan's national news agency UzA.

Transport Corridors

In an interview published by the Azerbaijani presidency, Aliyev said cooperation between Baku and Tashkent holds "great promise," particularly in the transport and logistics sphere. "Azerbaijan's location in the South Caucasus and Uzbekistan's in Central Asia makes our countries natural partners along important strategic routes connecting East and West," he said. He highlighted the integration of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway with the Middle Corridor and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) as projects that would create "new economic and transit opportunities for the entire region," emphasizing that such connectivity benefits both the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to expanding political dialogue, deepening economic ties, and developing cooperation in the energy and humanitarian spheres with Central Asian countries. He emphasized that historical and cultural proximity provides a solid foundation for these rapidly developing relationships. The president also stressed the significance of transport and communications connectivity as a key pillar of Azerbaijan's engagement with the region, noting that these factors have accelerated bilateral ties in recent years.

Turkic Integration

The Azerbaijani leader emphasized the importance of cooperation within the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), describing the body as an association that carries shared history, culture and spiritual values into the future. "Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan view the OTS not only as a platform for interstate cooperation, but also as an important association that carries our shared history, culture and spiritual values into the future," he said. Aliyev also addressed Azerbaijan's participation in the C6 consultative format alongside Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, noting that Baku formally joined the platform at its 7th summit in Tashkent last November to demonstrate what he called the "strategic importance" attached to Central Asian relations.