This was stated by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, during the meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
According to the President of Azerbaijan, “One of the manifestations of our fraternal relations is the assistance in the restoration of the territories of Karabakh, liberated from Armenian occupation. During almost 30 years of occupation, Armenia destroyed 9 cities and hundreds of settlements in these territories. Currently, large-scale restoration work is being carried out on the liberated lands, and the process of returning former internally displaced persons to their ancestral lands is underway.”
In his speech, the head of state noted that the growing threats and challenges in the world require greater strengthening of cooperation between our countries in the field of defense and security. In this context, he highlighted the international operational-tactical command and staff exercises “Birlistik-2024,” held last month in Kazakhstan, in which Azerbaijan also participated. Another indicator of the development of relations in this area is the training of cadets from Central Asian countries in Azerbaijani military institutions.
“Azerbaijan is interested in close cooperation with the Central Asian countries… One of the important areas of our interaction is also cooperation in the transport and transit sector. The increase in the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway from 1 million to 5 million tons, measures to increase the annual capacity of the Alat International Trade Port from 15 million to 25 million tons, orders for new ships for Azerbaijan’s merchant fleet in the Caspian Sea, as well as infrastructure projects being implemented in Central Asian countries, further enhance the practical significance of the Middle Corridor,” said the President of Azerbaijan.
Ilham Aliyev also pointed out in his speech that “investment projects with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are actively being implemented. Azerbaijan-Kazakh, Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz, and Azerbaijan-Uzbek joint investment funds have already been established.”
