The state visit by Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to the Kyrgyz Republic received extensive coverage across the country's media, with news agencies, television channels, newspapers and online publications reporting in detail on the arrival of the Azerbaijani head of state, the official welcoming ceremony, talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Sadyr Japarov, the signing of the Treaty on Allied Relations, and the prospects for further cooperation between the two countries.
The media paid particular attention to President Ilham Aliyev's statement on the elevation of Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz relations to an allied level, his high praise for Kyrgyzstan's socio-economic achievements, and his remarks on transforming Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia into a single geopolitical and geo-economic region, Caliber.Az reports via state media.
Vecherniy Bishkek reported that the programme for the visit included one-on-one talks between the heads of state and the third meeting of the Inter-State Council.
The arrival of President Ilham Aliyev at Issyk-Kul International Airport on July 30 was reported by the Kabar news agency, the state-run newspaper Erkin-Too, UTRK, the ELTR television channel, as well as Kaktus.media, 24.kg, Super.kg and IM.kg.
The Kabar news agency reported that the President of Azerbaijan was welcomed by the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov. The national flags of both countries were raised on the flagpoles, and a company of the honour guard was lined up along the red carpet.
Kyrgyz media provided detailed coverage of the official welcoming ceremony held at the Rukh-Ordo Cultural Centre in Cholpon-Ata. The publication Kaktus.media ran a headline featuring President Ilham Aliyev's greeting to the military personnel: "Salam, asker!"
One of the central themes of the reports was President Ilham Aliyev's statement on raising the level of relations between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan to that of an alliance.
The AKIpress agency featured the words of the Azerbaijani head of state in its headline: "There is no level higher than this one." The transition of Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz relations to an allied level was also covered in the headlines of Open.kg, Sputnik Kyrgyzstan and 24.kg.
The Kabar news agency, Economist.kg and IM.kg provided detailed coverage of the talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Sadyr Japarov. According to their reports, the two sides discussed prospects for expanding cooperation in the fields of the economy, investment, transport, energy, education and other areas.
Kyrgyz media outlets paid particular attention to President Ilham Aliyev's high praise for Kyrgyzstan's achievements. The reports stated that the President of Azerbaijan had noted the country's significant progress in socio-economic development, the strengthening of its economic potential and the enhancement of its international standing. In particular, the newspaper Erkin-Too and the Barakelde website published articles on the Azerbaijani head of state's high praise for Kyrgyzstan's development.
The Kabar news agency reported on an agreement to double the capital of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund to $200 million. The publication quoted President Ilham Aliyev as saying that this decision was linked to the effectiveness of projects implemented through the fund, which contribute to the creation of new industries and jobs.
One of the key outcomes of the state visit was the signing of the Treaty on Allied Relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Economist.kg portal reported that, following the talks, the Treaty on Allied Relations and a further 14 documents were signed.
The signing of the bilateral documents was also reported by the Kabar news agency, the Slovo Kyrgyzstana newspaper, Tazabek, K-News, Govori.TV, IM.kg, Channel 7 and UTRK.
Kyrgyz media gave extensive coverage to the ceremony at which the two countries exchanged their highest state honours.
President Sadyr Japarov presented the Order of Manas, First Class, to President Ilham Aliyev. The award was conferred in recognition of his significant contribution to the development of the strategic partnership between the two states and the strengthening of friendship between the Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz peoples.
In turn, President Ilham Aliyev presented President Sadyr Japarov with the Heydar Aliyev Order, Azerbaijan's highest state honour. The award was conferred for outstanding services in the development of friendly, fraternal and partnership ties between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Kyrgyz Republic.
The award ceremony was covered by Erkin-Too, AKIpress, the Kabar news agency, the Slovo Kyrgyzstana newspaper, 24.kg, Vesti.kg, UTRK, Channel 7, Govori.TV, Koom.press and Report.kg.
The 24.kg and Vesti.kg news portals devoted separate articles to President Ilham Aliyev's remarks on Kyrgyzstan's contribution to the reconstruction of Karabakh. The publications paid particular attention to the Aykol Manas Secondary School, built with Kyrgyzstan's support in Azerbaijan's Aghdam district. The Azerbaijani head of state described it as another symbol of brotherhood and a monument to the unity of the two nations, expressing his gratitude to Kyrgyzstan for the assistance provided.
The Kabar news agency and the 24.kg portal reported that President Ilham Aliyev had invited President Sadyr Japarov to pay a state visit to Azerbaijan.
The Kabar news agency also quoted the Azerbaijani head of state as saying that the two countries would continue to support one another on the international stage, develop trade and economic ties, and cooperate in the field of security.
Particular attention was paid in the reports to President Ilham Aliyev's statement that Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia had become a single geopolitical and geo-economic region.
It was noted that relations with the countries of Central Asia are one of the priorities of Azerbaijan's foreign policy. The reports also included details of reciprocal visits and the head of state's remarks regarding his intention to continue strengthening cooperation with the countries of the region.
Economist.kg, Vesti.kg and Sputnik Kyrgyzstan reported on the participation of President Ilham Aliyev, alongside President Sadyr Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, in the opening of an international-class golf club on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul.
The publications reported that the heads of state took symbolic first swings, marking the start of operations at the new golf club. Vesti.kg also noted that the presidents familiarised themselves with the infrastructure of the sports and tourism complex.
The Super.kg portal published a video showing the four presidents engaging in informal conversation on the shores of Issyk-Kul. The footage showed the heads of state chatting freely, having their photographs taken and playing golf.
In reports by the Kyrgyz media, President Ilham Aliyev's state visit was presented as an important milestone in the development of Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz relations.
Reports cited the elevation of bilateral relations to an allied level, the signing of a package of documents, the expansion of economic cooperation and the strengthening of fraternal ties between the two nations as the key outcomes of the events that took place during the visit.
The topic of further strengthening Azerbaijan's regional cooperation with the countries of Central Asia was also given particular prominence in the reports.
By Sabina Mammadli
