President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev is on a two-day state visit to Azerbaijan. This is the first foreign visit of the Uzbek leader after his re-election to the presidency.
Following the summit talks in Baku on 22 August 2023, President Mirziyoyev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an agreement on the establishment of the Supreme Interstate Council between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
“It is symbolic that I am making my first visit to Azerbaijan after the elections. This testifies to the highest level of bilateral cooperation, mutual desire for rapprochement, the availability of broad opportunities for interaction,” the President of Uzbekistan said at the final press conference.
He also stressed that “there are no problem issues between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan,” and the signed agreement on the establishment of the Supreme Interstate Council of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan opens a new stage in bilateral relations.
During one-on-one and expanded format negotiations, Aliyev and Mirziyoyev discussed a wide range of issues in the political, economic, trade, industrial, automotive, metallurgical, pharmaceutical, and transport sectors.
The Uzbek-Azerbaijani trade turnover will be brought to $1 billion.
The heads of state placed great emphasis on expanding trade, developing industrial cooperation, and improving logistics infrastructure. They discussed projects in the automotive industry, metallurgy, energy, agriculture, electrical engineering, textiles, tourism, and other sectors.
The parties identified the potential to increase trade turnover to $1 billion in the coming years by replacing expensive imports from third countries with affordable and high-quality products from national producers.
Transport is a strategic direction of cooperation
One of the strategic areas of cooperation is the transport and logistics sector. The parties agreed to implement projects to develop new logistics chains, construct infrastructure, and increase cargo transportation volumes.
Last year, the cargo transportation from Uzbekistan through the port of Baku almost doubled. Uzbekistan intends to further increase transportation using the modern transport network of Azerbaijan.
In this context, the parties intend to create a joint logistics company within the Trans-Caspian corridor. And as it is obvious from the content of the negotiations, Uzbekistan aims to create warehouse infrastructure and logistics centers in the ports of Baku and third countries.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have agreed to expand cooperation in the field of energy
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are committed to deepening cooperation in the fuel and energy sector, from geological exploration to joint participation in oil and gas projects.
According to Azerbaijani and Uzbek media reports, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Uzbekneftegaz [Uzbek oil and gas] signed:
– Agreement on the participation of Uzbekneftegaz in oil and gas projects in Azerbaijan
– A cooperation agreement between SOCAR, the Ministry of Mining and Geology of Uzbekistan and Uzbekneftegaz on SOCAR’s participation in oil and gas projects in Uzbekistan.
Also, the energy ministers of the two countries signed a new roadmap for the development of energy cooperation for 2023-2025.
The roadmap, covering 14 areas, provides for cooperation in the field of exploration and production of hydrocarbon resources, as well as the creation of joint ventures in both countries, Trend reports.
According to the document, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will also cooperate in the field of renewable energy sources, energy sector reform, efficient use of energy resources, energy transition, decarbonization, exchange of information and experience related to hydrogen production.
Signed documents
A total of 20 documents were signed during Mirziyoyev’s visit to Baku. They include:
- Agreement on the establishment of the Supreme Interstate Council
- Roadmap for deepening comprehensive strategic partnership for 2023-2024
- Agreement on deepening cooperation in the energy sector
- Roadmap for the development of energy cooperation for 2023-2025
- Protocol on cooperation between the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Market Supervision under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Competition Development and Consumer Protection
- Protocol on cooperation in the implementation of an information system for the electronic exchange of Permit Forms
- Protocol on Cooperation in the field of culture
- Memorandum of cooperation between the Service of the Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Security Council under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Protocol on amendments and additions to the Agreement on Visa-free travel of citizens
- Agreement on cooperation in the field of youth policy and sports
- Roadmap for the development of cooperation in the media sphere
///nCa, 23 August 2023 [photo credit – official website of President of Azerbaijan]
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