BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 9. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov took part in the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan on October 8. The meeting is being held at the Avaza complex in Turkmenistan. The summit was also attended by the presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
Sadyr Japarov’s speech at the meeting shows that Bishkek sees cooperation with Azerbaijan not only as a political partnership, but also as an opportunity to expand practical ties in trade, industry, transport, the digital economy and tourism. Several of the initiatives are directly linked to strengthening economic ties between Central Asia, and the South Caucasus.
One of the key proposals from the Kyrgyz side was the creation of a unified electronic trading platform for Central Asia and Azerbaijan.
"In this regard, we propose creating a unified electronic trading platform for Central Asia and Azerbaijan. This would provide consumers and businesses with broader access to goods produced in the countries of the region," Sadyr Japarov said.
According to him, the development of e-commerce should go hand in hand with stronger industrial cooperation. Kyrgyzstan proposes that the governments of the countries in the region identify specific mutually beneficial projects in agricultural processing, light industry, construction materials and logistics, including the participants, sources of financing and implementation timelines.
Such an approach could create a basis for moving from growing mutual trade to more sustainable industrial cooperation. If such projects are implemented, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan could have additional opportunities to promote each other’s products, while Central Asian companies could use Azerbaijani infrastructure to access the South Caucasus and other international markets.
Transport remains one of the most important elements of the emerging regional connection. Sadyr Japarov proposed that the transport authorities of the countries, together with carriers, develop practical solutions for unified freight tariffs, coordinated schedules, shorter waiting times and digital cargo tracking.
"Our focus should be on measurable results: reducing delivery costs and travel time. At the same time, every country should have the opportunity to fully participate in regional transport projects and receive economic benefits from them," the Kyrgyz president said.
In this context, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project is particularly important. Its further integration with routes through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan could create an additional land-sea connection between China, the countries of the region and South Caucasus markets. For Kyrgyzstan, this could provide more options for reaching foreign markets, while for Azerbaijan it could strengthen its role as a transport link between Central Asia and wider international routes.
Trade figures also show that economic ties between the two countries already have a basis for further growth. In 2025, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan amounted to $77.17 million, increasing about 1.9 times compared with 2024. Azerbaijan’s imports from Kyrgyzstan reached $53.75 million, while Azerbaijan’s exports to Kyrgyzstan amounted to $23.42 million.
In January-July 2026, the situation changed. Azerbaijan’s exports to Kyrgyzstan reached $30.03 million, exceeding the full-year 2025 figure by 28.2 percent, while imports from Kyrgyzstan amounted to $4.03 million. As a result, Azerbaijan’s trade surplus with Kyrgyzstan reached about $26 million during the period. This trend creates room for further growth in mutual supplies and a wider range of goods.
The Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund is another important basis for investment cooperation. In July 2026, its capital was increased from $100 million to $200 million. At the same time, three joint projects were opened and eight more initiatives were launched, creating a financial basis for moving toward larger industrial projects.
Tourism is another important area of bilateral relations. In July, the Azerbaijani-built five-star Baku Resort & Spa was opened in the village of Kara-Oy on Lake Issyk-Kul. The project covers more than 17 hectares and includes 111 rooms and 10 cottages. It can accommodate 330 guests and is expected to create 255 jobs at the initial stage. Projects like this not only develop tourism infrastructure but also create additional opportunities for people-to-people and business ties.
Against this background, cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan is gradually moving beyond individual projects. The political foundation of relations is also becoming stronger. The two countries have previously signed a Treaty on Allied Relations. Kyrgyz Ambassador to Azerbaijan Maksat Mamytkanov said earlier that following Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Kyrgyzstan, relations had reached a higher level of interstate cooperation and that ties were expected to become more active in all areas.
Further cooperation could develop in several directions. One could be an increase in mutual trade through a wider range of goods and new industrial projects. Another could involve the gradual creation of a common digital and logistics environment, including e-commerce, digital documents, cargo tracking and coordinated tariffs.
Another possible scenario is closer integration of Kyrgyzstan’s transport projects with routes through the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan. In this case, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway could become part of a wider regional transport system connecting Central Asia with Azerbaijan and international markets.
Investment and tourism could also support further cooperation. The increased capital of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund could provide financing for new projects, while joint promotion of tourism routes could strengthen contacts between the people of the two countries. Environmental cooperation also remains a possible area, including the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of glaciers and mountain ecosystems.
