Together, safe and forever In the footsteps of President Aliyev's visit to Uzbekistan

The state visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan is an important fact of the geopolitical convergence of two large Eurasian regions - the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Ilham Aliyev's visit to Uzbekistan should be considered in this very context, even if we proceed only from its large-scale program. In terms of its content, the visit has clearly been a political surprise for many actors, both in the region and beyond. Now, when grandiose changes are taking place in the world geopolitics, and old ties, blocs and alliances are breaking down, it is necessary to be defined without delay in choosing new partners and directions of cooperation.

The visit to Uzbekistan, the first official visit of the Azerbaijani president abroad since the pandemic, can be considered a very significant event. Incidentally, in his welcoming speech on the Uzbek land on June 22, Ilham Aliyev himself stressed this. "“My first official visit after the situation with the pandemic allowed, I am making to fraternal Uzbekistan. It is a demonstration of our relations, a manifestation of brotherhood and friendship of our peoples," he said.

And it is true that the two countries with a predominantly Turkic population have much in common. And this is not only the stages of development, but also the tragic periods of the genocide of nations and military conflicts, usually instigated by Turkophobes.

The brutal cruelty and misanthropy of the Armenians, Azerbaijan's neighbours, has more than once brought grief and devastation to the lands of both Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In 1918, Armenians committed genocide not only against Azerbaijanis in Baku and other regions of the republic, but also the mass slaughter of Uzbeks in Kokand and Fergana Valley. Uzbeks remember those terrible days of Dashnaks' atrocities, and it is one of the reasons why Tashkent does not have its diplomatic representation in Yerevan, and unlike other countries of Central Asia, there is no Armenian embassy in the capital of Uzbekistan.

However, Uzbekistan became a second home for many Azerbaijanis during the Stalinist repressions and deportations. Tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis found a home and a second homeland here. Azerbaijan is still grateful to the brotherly Uzbek people. Later, the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev and the leaders of Uzbekistan Sharaf Rashidov and then Islam Karimov established open and most trusting relations, thanks to which Baku and Tashkent always found a common language on the most difficult issues.

A considerable number of Azerbaijanis live in Tashkent today, and it was in the capital that an important event took place during the visit of Ilham Aliyev, which emphasized the special nature of relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. The Heydar Aliyev Memorial Complex was inaugurated on a square in Tashkent's Mirabad district, a place of compact settlement of Azerbaijanis. The square itself is also located on a street named after the national leader of Azerbaijan. It is worth noting that this district of the city has been improved as much as possible in recent years, the capital authorities have carried out large-scale landscaping here, and in accordance with plans, it will be one of the most attractive places for both Tashkent residents and guests of the capital.

I can`t help mentioning the symbolic phrases uttered by Presidents of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan Ilham Aliyev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the opening ceremony of the Heydar Aliyev Memorial. They emphasized the special level of partnership relations built now between Baku and Tashkent.

According to Mirziyoyev, it is the friendship between the leaders that has allowed the two states, the two brotherly nations to interact effectively, actively exchange vital goods, and develop side by side in the humanitarian sphere.

In all these achievements of the two eastern states, Mirziyoyev emphasized the outstanding role of Heydar Aliyev as a national leader and politician on a global, international scale. The head of Uzbekistan recalled that "Heydar Aliyev often repeated the immortal lines of the great Samad Vurgun: 'I am all yours, forever given to you as a son, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan.' Therefore, the name and image of Heydar Aliyev are perceived all over the world as a symbol of all the good and noble qualities inherent in the Azerbaijani people."

Ilham Aliyev on behalf of all Azerbaijani people expressed gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan, the brotherly Uzbek people for such a warm and touching attitude to the memory of Heydar Aliyev.

"My state visit today is not only evidence of our intentions, but also evidence of the solid foundation of our fraternal, friendly relations. The attitude of Heydar Aliyevich to the Uzbek people, to Uzbekistan is very well known in Uzbekistan," the Azerbaijani president said.

It is too early to sum up the results of Ilham Aliyev's official visit to Uzbekistan, but certain facts speak volumes. The two countries signed about 20 documents, which undoubtedly raise the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan to a new level. It is significant that the agreements encompass a broad spectrum of cooperation in different areas. It is easier to name the spheres where it has not yet been marked. These are agreements on cooperation between the two countries' regions in the field of industrial production, international road transport, combating illegal migration, in the sphere of quarantine and protection of plants and the development of tourism. Of course, military and military-technical cooperation were also discussed.

And as a securing element - the crowning point of all business meetings and discussions: the Declaration on Deepening Strategic Partnership and Increasing Cooperation. As the President of Azerbaijan himself stated, "this is the road map for our activities in the future."

The President stressed that the road map reflected the foreign policy priorities, expressed mutual support for the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of our countries, and set specific tasks and goals in many areas of life.

According to the President of Uzbekistan, the interstate declaration "opens a new stage in bilateral relations of the two countries." Shavkat Mirziyoyev is confident that the economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan has already demonstrated impressive results. For example, the trade turnover between the countries has significantly increased, and the number of joint ventures and projects has quadrupled.

According to the personal assessment of the president of Uzbekistan, there are ample opportunities for a cardinal activation of interaction between the countries, and it is primarily the "factor of complementarity of economies," which has already been successfully used. Thus, the Azerbaijani city of Hajigabul has launched a joint production of cars, and Uzbek silkworm breeders cooperate with the Sheki region. At the same time, Mirziyoyev said, dozens of new projects in the mining industry, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, ready-made textiles, food, jewellery and winemaking are under development, which indicates a truly unprecedented level of cooperation between Baku and Tashkent.

Ravshan Nazarov, a political scientist at the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan and an expert at the International Institute of Central Asia, shared his views on the fruitfulness of President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Uzbekistan with Caliber.Az.

"If at the beginning of 2022 there were 178 companies with Azerbaijani participation in Uzbekistan (63 joint ventures, 115 enterprises with 100% foreign participation)," he says. "Now their number has increased to 238. There are 53 Uzbek companies working in Azerbaijan, and their number continues to grow. In 2021 the volume of trade between the countries increased by 42%, and from January to June 2022 this indicator doubled compared to the previous year."

One of the most promising and mutually beneficial topics, according to the expert, is the railway corridor "Uzbekistan - Azerbaijan", which could become a link between Central Asia and the Caucasus, and even wider - between Europe and Asia.

"Uzbekistan has already agreed with Turkmenistan to open for itself a road to the Caspian Sea through the port of Turkmenbashi. Now through trilateral negotiations of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan it is necessary to coordinate the transit via Turkmenbashi to Baku. Then the goods can be transported to Türkiye via Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad and then to Europe," Nazarov said.

Among other promising topics, the Uzbek political scientist singled out increasing mutual trade, strengthening cooperation at the level of business structures and regions, effective use of opportunities in the transport and transit sphere, promoting joint investment projects in various sectors of the economy (oil and gas, petrochemicals, agriculture, silk production, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, winemaking and food industry). He also believes that it is important to continue the active cultural and humanitarian exchange in all forms and spheres - bilateral and multilateral cultural events, various festivals, scientific conferences, presentations, creative meetings, and art projects (theatre, cinema, music, etc.).

Certainly, it is impossible not to consider the new rise of relations between Baku and Tashkent in isolation from the contemporary realities of geopolitics, where old ties are rapidly breaking down and new ones are being established. In this sense, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are two active players, thinking in detail about strategic directions in a variety of spheres, taking into account the current agenda.

Proceeding from this, according to Nazarov, in conditions of new realities and a radical change of paradigm of world politics all countries should and have the sovereign right "to address emerging issues and problems in their own strategic and tactical interests."

"And in this regard, cooperation, interaction and mutual assistance between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are very important for both countries in all respects - political, socio-economic, cultural and humanitarian. The more that the countries cooperate not only in a bilateral format, but also on various international platforms - the UN, UNESCO, CIS, OIC, the Organization of Turkic States," Nazarov summed up, assessing the potential for a new breakthrough in the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations.