BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 15. Azerbaijan and the Central Asian countries may join efforts to jointly develop new hydrocarbon fields, opening additional opportunities for investment and the introduction of advanced technologies, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Ranokhon Tursunova told Trend.
She noted that Azerbaijan’s extensive experience in the development and operation of oil and gas fields could be highly valuable for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, which are seeking to enhance extraction efficiency and expand their resource base.
Commenting on the prospects for cooperation ahead of the Seventh Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, the professor emphasized that the upcoming summit could elevate the partnership to a qualitatively new level and give it a more systematic character.
“The development of mutually beneficial projects will enable the countries of the region to respond more effectively to global challenges and lay the groundwork for new integration initiatives,” she said.
According to Tursunova, the meeting of the leaders may become the basis for regular political consultations and the formation of stable channels of communication between governments, which would reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and speed up joint decision-making.
She also pointed out that, from a political perspective, the high-level meeting will allow the parties to align their approaches to current regional and international issues. Central Asia and the South Caucasus, she said, share common interests in security, political stability, and foreign policy, which makes the dialogue particularly relevant.
In addition, the professor noted that the leaders will be able to discuss issues of foreign economic policy, as well as strengthening cooperation within international organizations and multilateral platforms, including the SCO, the Organization of Turkic States, and other regional structures.
“The upcoming meeting of the leaders of Central Asia and Azerbaijan will become an important milestone in the development of interregional interaction. The summit can give new momentum to cooperation in such areas as energy, transport, security, education, and culture, and also strengthen the atmosphere of trust among the countries,” she said.