BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 3. Relations between Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries are gaining broader geopolitical and geoeconomic content, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
According to him, the informal meeting of the heads of state of Azerbaijan and Central Asia, held in Cholpon-Ata, was another confirmation of the new model of cooperation being formed in the region. In recent years, the strengthening of mutual political trust, the expansion of economic ties, and the acceleration of transport and logistics projects show that relations between Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia are already going beyond the traditional framework of bilateral cooperation and gaining a broader geopolitical and geoeconomic content.
"The ideas voiced by President Ilham Aliyev in his speech in Cholpon-Ata reflect this reality: "Relations with the countries of Central Asia are among the key priorities of Azerbaijan's foreign policy." This approach isn't accidental. Over the past few years, Azerbaijan has significantly expanded relations with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan in all directions. The intensity of mutual state visits, as well as the activity of intergovernmental commissions, economic forums, and business platforms indicate that cooperation has taken on a systematic character.
The statistics mentioned by President Ilham Aliyev also clearly demonstrate this. According to him, since the beginning of 2023, the head of state of Azerbaijan has made a total of 16 visits to the countries of Central Asia, and the leaders of the countries of the region have visited Azerbaijan 26 times. In modern diplomacy, such dynamics are considered an indicator not only of political dialogue, but also of specific economic projects and long-term partnership," Garayev said.
According to him, one of the main factors bringing Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia closer is cooperation in the field of transport and logistics.
"In recent years, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route - the Middle Corridor has come to the fore as one of the most promising cargo transportation routes between Europe and Asia. For the effective operation of this route, Azerbaijan has expanded modern shipping capabilities in the Caspian Sea, increased the capabilities of the Baku International Sea Trade Port, and provided access to Europe via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. Meanwhile, the Central Asian countries are implementing large-scale projects aimed at increasing cargo flows and modernizing port and railway infrastructure. As a result, the countries of the region are becoming not only transit partners, but also participants in a single logistics space," the analyst noted.
Garayev pointed out that one of the important areas of cooperation is the investment and industrial sectors. Azerbaijan is already a participant in specific projects in a number of Central Asian countries.
"One of the points highlighted by President Ilham Aliyev in Cholpon-Ata was the expansion of the activities of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan Development Fund. The head of state said that one of the signed documents envisages increasing the fund's resources from $100 million to $200 million. This decision indicates that investment cooperation between the two countries has entered a new stage. Various production and business projects are already being financed through the fund, and new enterprises are starting to operate. This model creates additional opportunities for the implementation of joint investment initiatives in other areas in the future," he said.
The analyst emphasized that the tourism projects implemented by Azerbaijan in Kyrgyzstan are also one of the practical results of economic cooperation.
"The five-star Baku hotel built by Azerbaijan on the shores of Issyk-Kul is a vivid example of this. This project can be assessed not only as an investment, but also as an important step serving the development of business and tourism relations between the countries. One of the ideas that attracted special attention in President Ilham Aliyev's speech was this: "Today, Central Asia and Azerbaijan have already turned into a single geopolitical and geoeconomic region." In fact, this idea expresses the logical result of the processes taking place in recent years. Energy, transport, digital connections, trade, industrial cooperation, and investment projects increasingly unite the interests of the countries of the region. At a time when global trade routes are changing, and the demand for alternative logistics lines is increasing, Azerbaijan and the Central Asian states are building their mutual activities in accordance with these new realities. This cooperation not only brings economic dividends, but also boosts the international importance of the region," Garayev said.
According to him, the full participation of Azerbaijan in the consultative format of the heads of state of Central Asia is also an important event that indicates that cooperation has entered a qualitatively new stage.
"This status ensures Baku's direct participation in decision-making regarding the future development of the region and demonstrates that the partnership has a long-term character. The declaration signed in Cholpon-Ata is also of particular importance as a political document determining the future directions of cooperation. There are wide opportunities for the implementation of new projects in the fields of transport, trade, industry, green energy, digital technologies, and investment in the coming period.
All this shows that relations between Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia no longer consist of separate projects. The emerging strategic partnership model accelerates the economic integration of the region, contributes to the creation of a new architecture of cooperation in the Eurasian space, and opens up long-term development opportunities for the parties," the analyst added.
