FROM FRATERNITY TO ALLIANCE

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are consistently building up relations of brotherhood, friendship and strategic partnership, especially confirmed after the state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Azerbaijan. Close cooperation between Baku and Tashkent in the international arena, with the key factor being their significant role in the Turkic integration process, is demonstrated through the rich bilateral dialogue.

We're on the right way

This was the first state visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Azerbaijan after his re-election as President of Uzbekistan. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev underlined this fact as an indicator of brotherhood and friendship between the two countries.

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have been two friendly and fraternal countries since both gained independence from the USSR back in 1991. But in recent years, these relations have become particularly intense, bringing them to the level of strategic alliance. This is how we should regard the results of bilateral visits and contacts over this period, including the state visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Uzbekistan last year. The current visit of the Uzbek leader to Azerbaijan has demonstrated that the two countries intend to continue to pursue the path of strengthening bilateral cooperation and further rapprochement in all areas of political, economic and cultural interaction.

"During our meetings one-on-one and with the members of delegations, we have analysed in detail all the efforts made to strengthen our cooperation. We have also discussed and defined all the ways we can follow to develop the future of our relations in all areas of bilateral cooperation starting from joint international activities and membership in international organisations to energy, transport, economic cooperation, humanitarian sphere, etc. In other words, thanks to these meetings and discussions, today we have been able to define, in essence, the future of the development of our relations. The outcome of this interaction shows that we are on the right path," President Aliyev said.

The impressive package of documents on mutual co-operation signed in Baku demonstrates the significance both sides attach to the development of bilateral relations. These include two dozen documents at the level of state, governmental and various other agencies. Among them is a roadmap on deepening comprehensive strategic partnership for 2023-2024, agreements on deepening cooperation in the areas of energy, youth policy and sports, a roadmap on developing cooperation in media, a protocol on making additions and amendments to the agreement on visa-free travel of citizens of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan and other agreements.

The most significant document signed during the visit was undoubtedly the Treaty on the Establishment of the Supreme Interstate Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. "The Supreme Council is the highest level of trust and continuation of strategic directions we have agreed upon," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said. President Aliyev described the establishment of the council as an indicator of a high, fraternal level of relations and a broad cooperation agenda between the two countries.

New potential for dialogue

The list of topics and plans, as well as the wide coverage of areas discussed between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are really impressive.

This year, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan signed a bilateral agreement on the establishment of an investment fund worth $500m. It will play a significant role in strengthening economic cooperation and implementing joint investment projects. During Mirziyoyev's visit to Baku, the sides agreed to increase the fund's capital, which indicates the intention to expand trade and economic interaction between the both countries.

According to official statistical data, the volume of trade between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan increased 6.2 times in 2017-2022. However, it is planned to increase this volume from $180m to $1b annually. Trans-Caspian transport route, the Middle Corridor, which runs through Azerbaijan is a priority project recognised by both sides.

As one of the key countries of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is involved in promoting transport and communication projects in various directions, including the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China and Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway projects running eastward and southward, respectively, as well as the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran corridor running in the south-western direction. As for Uzbekistan's access to European markets, the route naturally lies through Azerbaijan, especially given the geopolitical and economic challenges along the northern route through Russia.

Therefore, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are discussing the possibility of establishing a joint logistics company within the Trans-Caspian Corridor, which involves, inter alia, the construction of warehousing infrastructure and logistics hubs at the Baku seaport. This will require Azerbaijan expand its cargo transportation capacity, including the expansion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the opening of the Zangezur corridor. Uzbekistan also expects to utilise these capacities.

As to the highly intensive strategic dialogue between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, including the agreements signed in Baku on cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres, it is indicative that the dialogue actually intensified right after the 44-day war in Garabagh in 2020. Since the beginning of Armenian military aggression against Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan has provided comprehensive support to Azerbaijan, being one of the foundations of the brotherly and friendly dialogue between Baku and Tashkent.

Common roots

Uzbekistan is the only post-Soviet country that condemned Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories and refused to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan. After the 2020 war, Uzbekistan welcomed Azerbaijan's victory and immediately expressed its intention to assist in the revival of Garabagh. Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to the liberated Azerbaijani cities of Fuzuli and Shusha was therefore significant.

During the joint visit of presidents to Fuzuli, they inaugurated a 960-seat school built by Uzbekistan thanks to the personal initiative of President Mirziyoyev. This is the first gift of a foreign state in the restored liberated territories of Azerbaijan.

"The school bears the name of the great son of the Uzbek nation, Mirza Ulugbek. I am sure that apart from being a hotbed of education, it will also be yet another centre of friendship and brotherhood between our nations," President Ilham Aliyev said.

The presidents also met with former internally displaced persons who returned to Fuzuli and were accommodated in the new houses allocated by the state inside the MIDA housing estate. "My brother had to solve difficult tasks to ensure this victory. But the result of his efforts to restore justice and truth was my brother's victory in Garabagh," the Uzbek President said.

A demonstration of sincere and fraternal attitude towards Azerbaijan was the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to the city of Shusha, the jewel of Garabagh liberated from Armenian occupation and the cultural capital of Azerbaijan.

By the way, Shusha had become a historical location in the development of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations even before President Mirziyoyev's visit. In July 2023, Shusha hosted a regular meeting of the intergovernmental commission of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. During President Mirziyoyev's visit, the heads of both states visited historical places and sights of Shusha, including Saatli and Yukhari Govhar Agha mosques, the spring of Khurshidbanu Natavan, the exhibition Heydar Aliyev and Garabagh at the Creative Centre restored by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, monuments to outstanding cultural figures of Azerbaijan (Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Bulbul) spoiled by Armenians during the occupation, Bulbul's House Museum, the Mehmandarov mansion. They also visited the famous Cidir Duzu, which has a special place in the history and culture of the Azerbaijani people.

Since Azerbaijani-Uzbek relations are based on common historical, cultural, linguistic and religious values of the two nations and their common Turkic background, the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan also confirmed the strategic perspectives of the Organisation of Turkic States. Therefore, the efforts of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan do influence the changing geopolitical, economic, transport and logistics panorama of Eurasia, and contribute to the strengthening of the entire Turkic world.