BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan can be regarded
as a historic stage in the development of relations between the two
countries. The results of the visit show that ties between Baku and
Tashkent are no longer limited to bilateral cooperation and are
gaining broader regional and geopolitical significance, analyst
Azer Garayev told Trend.
According to him, the dynamics of relations between Azerbaijan
and Uzbekistan in recent years, intensive political dialogue at the
level of the heads of state, and the expansion of cooperation into
new areas are among the main factors determining the historic
significance of President Ilham Aliyev’s latest visit.
“Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations are based on common history,
culture and national and spiritual values. However, we are now
seeing this historical affinity transformed into concrete
political, economic and geostrategic cooperation. President Ilham
Aliyev’s visit to Uzbekistan should also be viewed as the beginning
of a new stage in this process. The decisions adopted and documents
signed during the visit determine the long-term prospects of
relations,” the political analyst said.
Eternal friendship treaty strengthens political and
legal foundation of relations
Garayev noted that the “Treaty on Eternal Friendship,” signed on
August 23, further strengthens the political and legal foundations
of the special relationship that has developed between Azerbaijan
and Uzbekistan.
In his view, the significance of the document is not limited to
formalizing the existing friendly relations between the two
countries. The treaty demonstrates the long-term nature of mutual
trust, strategic partnership and allied relations.
“The Treaty on Eternal Friendship shows the strategic
perspective from which Baku and Tashkent view their relations. This
is not about situational interests, but about long-term political
trust. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan already view each other as
reliable partners on regional issues. This, in turn, creates
opportunities to further strengthen the institutional foundations
of relations,” he emphasized.
The political analyst said that deepening political dialogue
between the two countries also creates favorable conditions for
expanding cooperation in the economic, transport, energy,
industrial, tourism, education, cultural and humanitarian
spheres.
Baku-Tashkent ties increase geopolitical weight of
Turkic world
Garayev believes that the strengthening of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan
relations extends beyond the bilateral framework and provides
additional momentum to integration processes across the Turkic
world.
“Azerbaijan is a state with significant political and economic
potential in the South Caucasus, while Uzbekistan has considerable
political and economic potential in Central Asia. The strategic
rapprochement between these two countries contributes to stronger
political coordination within the Turkic world on both shores of
the Caspian Sea. Strengthening the Baku-Tashkent axis is important
for developing cooperation within the Organization of Turkic
States, expanding ties between Central Asia and the South Caucasus,
and forming a common economic space,” the political analyst
said.
According to him, growing cooperation between Azerbaijan and
Uzbekistan also contributes to the Turkic world becoming a more
coordinated and influential geopolitical actor in the international
relations system.
Economy demonstrates new quality of
relations
The political analyst emphasized that economic cooperation is
one of the most important indicators of the qualitative changes
taking place in Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations.
In his view, alongside expanding mutual trade, joint
investments, industrial cooperation, transport and logistics
projects, and cooperation in the energy sector are creating a more
sustainable economic foundation for bilateral relations.
“If political relations are complemented by economic projects,
this significantly increases the sustainability of the partnership.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are currently developing precisely such a
model. Increasing mutual investments, establishing joint production
facilities, making more active use of the Middle Corridor’s
potential and expanding cargo transportation across the Caspian Sea
serve the economic interests of both countries,” Azer Garayev
said.
He added that diversifying economic ties could not only
facilitate access of Azerbaijani and Uzbek businesses to each
other’s markets, but also expand opportunities for the two
countries to jointly enter third-country markets.
Tourism can further strengthen ties between
peoples
According to Azer Garayev, tourism is another area with
significant development potential between Azerbaijan and
Uzbekistan. The fact that both countries possess rich historical
and cultural heritage, ancient cities and important monuments of
Turkic-Islamic civilization creates favorable opportunities for
expanding mutual tourist flows.
The political analyst noted that Baku, Shusha and other tourism
destinations are attractive to Uzbek citizens, while Samarkand,
Bukhara, Khiva and Tashkent are of particular interest to
Azerbaijani tourists. The inclusion of a program to visit Bukhara’s
historical and cultural monuments during President Ilham Aliyev’s
state visit was also one of the indications of the importance
attached to the two countries’ shared cultural heritage and tourism
potential.
“Tourism is not only a sector that generates economic revenue.
For historically and culturally close countries such as Azerbaijan
and Uzbekistan, tourism also means increasing direct contacts
between peoples. Expanding mutual tourist flows, developing joint
tourism routes, and jointly promoting cultural and historical sites
could become important areas of future cooperation,” the political
analyst said.
In his view, the development of transport connectivity and
intensification of economic ties will provide additional momentum
to the tourism sector. In this regard, tourism could become one of
the important areas contributing to further strengthening the
social and humanitarian foundations of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan
relations.
Education cooperation becoming a strategic
investment
Garayev said education occupies a special place in
Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations. According to him, expanding
student and faculty exchanges, establishing direct cooperation
between higher education institutions, and implementing joint
scientific projects could make an important contribution to the
long-term rapprochement between the two countries.
The political analyst described the participation of the
presidents of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in the opening ceremony of
the Nizami Ganjavi National Pedagogical University in Tashkent
during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit as one of the signs that
educational ties have reached a new stage. The new campus project
envisages the establishment of educational buildings for 20,000
people and student dormitories for 5,000 people. At the same time,
cooperation between the Mirza Ulugbek School in Fuzuli and
Uzbekistan is expanding at the level of teachers and students.
“These projects have very important symbolic and strategic
dimensions. The operation of educational institutions named after
Mirza Ulugbek in Fuzuli and Nizami Ganjavi in Tashkent represents a
practical model for passing our shared cultural heritage on to
future generations. Relations established in the field of education
produce results that last longer than today’s political ties. This
cooperation serves to form a new generation of specialists and
intellectuals who will know Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan more closely
in the future,” Azer Garayev said.
According to Garayev, the next stage could include increasing
student exchanges, developing joint educational programs, promoting
dual-degree programs between universities, and expanding scientific
research and academic exchanges.
Political rapprochement complemented by people-to-people
ties
According to the political analyst, the expansion of
educational, tourism, cultural and humanitarian ties alongside
political and economic relations in recent years demonstrates that
the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan partnership is taking on a more
comprehensive character.
“The new stage shows that Baku and Tashkent do not intend merely
to preserve existing cooperation, but are forming a common
strategic agenda for the coming decades. The signing of the Treaty
on Eternal Friendship, the expansion of economic cooperation, the
deepening of educational and tourism ties, as well as stronger
coordination within the Turkic world are the main directions of
this process. In this regard, President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to
Uzbekistan can be regarded as the political foundation of a new
historic stage in Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations,” Azer Garayev
concluded.
