Energy of solidarity Afterword to Aliyev's Kazakhstan visit

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on April 10 this year, was not only another milestone in the development of relations between the two countries but also an indicator of the Turkic world's rapid integration as a whole.

The interaction between the two countries is taking place in a businesslike and energetic manner, as evidenced by the two leaders’ opening speeches. Thus, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, welcoming his Azerbaijani counterpart, said: "Now there is a need to check the hours, check the work that is being carried out by the two countries’ governments in fulfilment of the presidents’ instructions."

Ilham Aliyev replied in the same spirit: "The fact that we meet so often during official visits speaks about the nature of our relations, and that there is a need to constantly be in contact. Because our meetings are held regularly at various international venues, but the bilateral format is the most effective."

The focus of the two leaders' discussions was on the economic component. More information about the visit's business aspects and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan can be found in our previous article.

It should be emphasised that, among other factors of economic cooperation between our countries, the Ukraine war gave it an additional impetus, being the most serious trigger for reformatting the scheme of global Eurasian logistics. The Middle Corridor for the transportation of goods from China to Europe, as well as the export of hydrocarbons from Central Asian countries, is becoming the main artery around which the regional security system will be built, among other things.

Thus, economic factors progressively create a powerful basis for the political integration of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, as well as the entire Turkic world as a whole. Touching upon the process of Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation during a press statement, the Azerbaijani president emphasised that "Kazakhstan's principled position, which is aimed at peace in our region, is highly respected". The Azerbaijani leader expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan’s president for the initiative to establish the Kurmangazy Centre for Children's Creativity in Fuzuli liberated from [Armenian] occupation. "The construction of the centre has already begun. This is a gift from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, which the Azerbaijani people will never forget," Aliyev said. The principled support of Azerbaijan by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan during the Patriotic War of 2020, of course, played an important role in creating an atmosphere of fair perception of Baku's policy by the world community, in particular, in the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organisation]. This support demonstrated both the commitment to the principles of international law and the maturity and genuine independence of the Central Asian countries. No wonder, speaking about Azerbaijani-Kazakh relations, President Aliyev stressed that "these are relations between allies".

Indeed, as President Tokayev noted: "More than six months ago, we signed a declaration on deepening strategic partnership and expanding allied relations, a comprehensive program for the development of cooperation for 2022-2026, as well as a number of other documents. Now all these agreements are being consistently implemented."

The meeting’s culmination was the signing by the two leaders of the "Protocol on the establishment of the Supreme Interstate Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Azerbaijan". This decision will bring bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level, consolidating a common strategic vision of the future and allowing for the more intensive implementation of common goals.

Among the signed documents is a Memorandum of Understanding and cooperation between the Azerbaijani State News Agency Azertac and the Teleradiocomplex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan nonprofit joint stock company. The implementation of this memorandum will contribute to the information support of processes in the economic, humanitarian and cultural spheres, as well as increase the mutual integration of media spaces and expert communities.

It is difficult to overestimate the prospects of the Memorandum of Understanding between the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Work with the Diaspora and the Otandastar Foundation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is designed to unite the Azerbaijani and Kazakh diasporas’ efforts for more effective promotion of common interests.

"Cooperation with Azerbaijan has been and will be a priority for Kazakhstan. We will do everything possible to saturate this cooperation with concrete content and specific agreements," President Tokayev confirmed his commitment to strengthening allied relations between the two countries.

From the perspective of foreign policy cooperation between the two countries, it is worth recalling that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has a trusting relationship with the China leadership. In this sense, a close alliance with Kazakhstan is also an additional channel of interaction between the Turkic world and the global centre of power, which is the PRC [People’s Republic of China].

The Turkic integration is not yet at the level many countries want. But the very fact of the will of states to support each other's interests is more than a significant factor. For example, the fact that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are CSTO members and at the same time support Azerbaijan on the issue of normalisation of relations with Armenia, largely amortizes, if not levels the hypothetical threat to Azerbaijan from this military alliance. President Aliyev mentioned a similar pattern: "And I would also like to note that within the framework of international organisations we actively interact, always support each other on all issues and we will support. And we will also support each other, especially in those organisations where one of our countries is not a member of."

Contrary to sceptics, the ideas of Turkic integration are actively being implemented. Step by step, building their own political strategy and successfully integrating it into world events and trends, the Turkic countries are constantly strengthening their alliance.