23 Aug 2024 15:41

Presidents sign Azerbaijani-Uzbek treaty on allied relations

BAKU. Aug 23 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a treaty on allied relations following their talks.

Mirziyoyev described the signing of the document as historic.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich and I signed a treaty on allied relations today. This document ushers in a new chapter in the strengthening of interstate cooperation. We have thus confirmed our strong commitment to the comprehensive development of our multifaceted partnership," Mirziyoyev said in a statement to the press after the talks with Aliyev.

The Azerbaijani president, in turn, said that Uzbekistan "has become a country with a very high political authority not only in the region, but also on a global scale."

"We have officially became allies today. Actually, I agree that this is a historic moment. A treaty on allied relations is the top-level international document that two countries can sign. And we are really writing a new book, not even a chapter, of our relations in Tashkent today. This is a crucial foreign policy step that will guide both our relations and regional policy to a great extent for all subsequent years," Aliyev said.

Mirziyoyev for his part said that his talks with Aliyev in Tashkent also focused on ways to enhance practical cooperation between the two countries. The importance of increasing bilateral trade was also emphasized.

The two countries agreed to declare 2025 the Year of Economic Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan and to adopt an all-round program encompassing 20 priority areas, he said.

"We have set the objective of drastically increasing mutual trade and launching a new phase of industrial cooperation, including the implementation of projects in third countries. [...] We formed a package of promising projects worth over $2 billion, among them cooperation projects in the energy, chemical, mining and textile sectors, agriculture, urban development and other areas. The effectiveness of the joint investment company as an instrument of support for such projects was noted in this context. We also reiterated the need to enhance the two countries' cooperation by implementing transport, communications, energy and other infrastructure projects, including in the multilateral format. The sides agreed to increase the frequency of bilateral flights and adopt digital solutions," Mirziyoyev said.

Aliyev, in turn, said that it is necessary to increase the charter capital of the joint investment company, as its current capital of $500 million "has already been covered by various projects."

Boosting the joint investment company's charter capital is also key to advancing Baku-Tashkent relations and to launching joint projects in third countries, he said.