Prospects of Relations Between Azerbaijan and Central Asian Countries

Abstract

Our country continues to expand its effective and mutually beneficial cooperation with other nations. The article highlights that, in recent times, both the President's official and working visits to foreign countries and the official visits of heads of state and government to Baku reflect Azerbaijan's steadily growing relations and close ties with foreign states.
In recent years, there has been significant revitalization in Azerbaijan’s relations with Central Asian countries, including Turkic states. Azerbaijan plays a pivotal role in the economic and sometimes political integration of Central Asian countries into the global arena, due to historical, religious, linguistic, cultural, and geographical ties. Central Asian countries are uniting the East and the West through Azerbaijan. After the Patriotic War, the expansion of Azerbaijan’s transport and logistics capabilities turned our country into an important transport hub between the East and the West. It is no coincidence that today, the shortest and safest transit routes from Central Asia to Europe pass through Azerbaijan. It should be noted that Azerbaijan has developed modern transportation and logistics infrastructure, integrating into international transportation networks. Central Asian countries recognize Azerbaijan’s transit country status as increasingly significant day by day.
According to the author, Central Asia and Azerbaijan are a single historical and cultural geographical region with strategic importance in world politics with their growing economy, demography and geopolitical potential. Relations with the Turkic world are also of great importance in the context of Azerbaijan’s relations with Central Asian countries. In the foreign policy of our state, one of the priority directions is strengthening comprehensive relations with the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States. Azerbaijan always takes important initiatives for the integration of the Turkic world and takes practical steps in this direction.The article emphasizes that the first summit of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asian Countries (SPECA) held in Baku is currently in the center of attention worldwide. At the end of the first Summit meeting of the heads of state and government of SPECA participating countries, the Baku Declaration and the Road Map on the Digitization of the Middle Corridor were adopted. Noting that Azerbaijan’s cooperation with Central Asian countries has very good prospects, the author emphasizes that in the coming years, great things will be done and more important steps will be taken to further expand and deepen this cooperation. Without doubt, the mutually beneficial relations between Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries, which are developing day by day, will make very essential contributions to the progress of the Turkic world.
In the article, the issues of whether the relations between our countries with common ancestry and historical-cultural relations will continue to develop and expand in accordance with the interests of our peoples and states were extensively analyzed. The mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of Central Asia, which is getting stronger more and more, is of great importance for our countries and peoples, and also makes significant contributions to the development of the entire Turkic world.