OMM Redaksiyası
The 8th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Azerbaijan and Central Asia was held in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that President Ilham Aliyev addressed the event.
President Ilham Aliyev’s address
-Dear Serdar Gurbangulyyevich,
Dear heads of state,
Dear friends,
First, I would like to thank the President of Turkmenistan for the invitation and traditional hospitality.
I am pleased to be once again in brotherly Turkmenistan, in beautiful Avaza.
Last November, Azerbaijan became a full-fledged member of the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. I would like to once again thank all my esteemed colleagues for unanimously supporting this historic decision. In this regard, I would like to highlight the role of Turkmenistan and, personally, of esteemed Gurbanguly Malikgulyyevich Berdimuhamedov. In August last year, right here in Avaza, he proposed that Azerbaijan become a full-fledged participant in this format.
In recent years, Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan relations have developed dynamically. Since last year, five visits have taken place at the highest level. This reflects the intensity of our political dialogue and our mutual commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties.
I would like to particularly note the construction of a mosque in the city of Fuzuli at the initiative of esteemed Gurbanguly Malikgulyyevich Berdimuhamedov. We jointly attended the groundbreaking ceremony last year. This gift from brotherly Turkmenistan to our country is another expression of the friendship and spiritual closeness between our peoples.
Brotherly support for the restoration of Azerbaijan’s liberated territories is of particular importance to us. Uzbekistan has built the Mirza Ulugh Beg School in Fuzuli, Kazakhstan has built the Kurmangazy Children’s Creativity Center, and Kyrgyzstan has built the Manas School in Aghdam. We highly value this assistance.
In recent years, Azerbaijan’s engagement with Central Asian countries has expanded significantly. Political ties are at a high level, and reciprocal high-level visits have become regular. Economic and trade cooperation is strengthening, mutual investment is increasing, and joint projects are being implemented. Last year, Azerbaijan’s trade turnover with Central Asian countries grew by more than 50 percent. More than 400 companies with capital from Central Asian countries are actively operating in Azerbaijan today. In recent years, Azerbaijan has established joint investment funds with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Each fund has capital worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I believe we should make more active use of their potential, first and foremost, to implement joint projects, establish new manufacturing facilities and expand industrial cooperation. We should not limit ourselves to increasing mutual trade; we should also invest and produce together, and enter foreign markets.
Transport is one of the key areas of our cooperation. The Caspian Sea is playing an increasingly important role in transport links among our countries. Transport infrastructure on both shores of the Caspian is vital for connecting Central Asia with Azerbaijan and, further, with international markets. In recent years, we have steadily expanded our transport capacity. We have invested heavily in transport infrastructure and in developing seaports, airports, railways and roads. Today, we are seeing a significant increase in the volume of cargo transported across the Caspian Sea. Our shared goal is to make these routes more efficient and competitive. In parallel, the Digital Silk Way project is being implemented, and work is under way to develop fiber-optic lines along the seabed of the Caspian Sea. The Middle Corridor is becoming increasingly important: transit freight along the route grew by more than 10 percent last year and by about a further 20 percent in the first eight months of this year.
Energy has a special place in our cooperation. Azerbaijan plays an important role in the transit of energy resources from Central Asia to international markets. Oil from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan is transported through our country, and the volumes have been increasing. Cooperation in renewable energy is also steadily expanding. We are working jointly with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to establish a green energy corridor.
Dear colleagues, the geopolitical importance of our cooperation format is not limited to joint projects in energy and transport. Peace, security, and political and economic stability in our countries are the foundation of all our achievements and guarantee the future successful development of Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan, as well as the strengthening of our cooperation.
Thank you for your attention.
The 8th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Azerbaijan and Central Asia was held in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that President Ilham Aliyev addressed the event.
The 8th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Central Asia is being held in Turkmenbashi.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that President Ilham Aliyev is addressing the event.
The 8th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Central Asia is being held in Turkmenbashi.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan is attending the event.
