Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan can be regarded as a historic stage in the development of relations between the two countries. The results of the visit show that ties between Baku and Tashkent are no longer limited to bilateral cooperation and are gaining broader regional and geopolitical significance, analyst Azer Garayev told Trend. According to him, the dynamics of relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in recent years, intensive political dialogue at the level of the heads of state, and the expansion of cooperation into new areas are among the main factors determining the historic significance of President Ilham Aliyev’s latest visit.
However, we are now seeing this historical affinity transformed into concrete political, economic and geostrategic cooperation. President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Uzbekistan should also be viewed as the beginning of a new stage in this process. The decisions adopted and documents signed during the visit determine the long-term prospects of relations,” the political analyst said.
Eternal friendship treaty strengthens political and legal foundation of relations Garayev noted that the “Treaty on Eternal Friendship,” signed on August 23, further strengthens the political and legal foundations of the special relationship that has developed between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In his view, the significance of the document is not limited to formalizing the existing friendly relations between the two countries. The treaty demonstrates the long-term nature of mutual trust, strategic partnership and allied relations.
This is not about situational interests, but about long-term political trust. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan already view each other as reliable partners on regional issues. This, in turn, creates opportunities to further strengthen the institutional foundations of relations,” he emphasized.
The political analyst said that deepening political dialogue between the two countries also creates favorable conditions for expanding cooperation in the economic, transport, energy, industrial, tourism, education, cultural and humanitarian spheres. Baku-Tashkent ties increase geopolitical weight of Turkic world Garayev believes that the strengthening of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations extends beyond the bilateral framework and provides additional momentum to integration processes across the Turkic world. The strategic rapprochement between these two countries contributes to stronger political coordination within the Turkic world on both shores of the Caspian Sea.
Strengthening the Baku-Tashkent axis is important for developing cooperation within the Organization of Turkic States, expanding ties between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and forming a common economic space,” the political analyst said. According to him, growing cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also contributes to the Turkic world becoming a more coordinated and influential geopolitical actor in the international relations system. Economy demonstrates new quality of relations The political analyst emphasized that economic cooperation is one of the most important indicators of the qualitative changes taking place in Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations.
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