BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 4. The number of joint
ventures between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan has increased five times
in recent years, the ambassador of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan, Bahrom
Ashrafkhanov said, Trend reports.
He made the remark at the second session of the Azerbaijan-Uzbek
expert council on “Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan: promising directions
of development of mutually beneficial cooperation.”
Uzbekistan currently has 540 companies with Azerbaijani capital,
while about 70 enterprises with Uzbek capital are operating in
Azerbaijan.
According to the ambassador, based on the accumulated
experience, joint projects in the sphere of the automobile industry
have already been successfully realized, as well as textile and
silk-growing clusters are being created in Azerbaijan. Uzbekistan
has established production of gypsum board and jewelry within the
framework of bilateral cooperation.
“Over the past five years, trade turnover between our countries
has tripled and reached 255 million dollars. The goal is to bring
it to $1 billion,” Ashrafkhanov noted.
Last year, Tashkent and Baku agreed on a program on 20 key areas
of cooperation, including joint production of “green” energy and
its export to Europe via Azerbaijan. In addition, the development
of transport and logistics corridors, which both countries view as
a strategic growth factor, is high on the agenda.
The Ambassador emphasized the importance of the Treaty on Allied
Relations signed last August by the presidents of the two
countries. According to him, the document is historical in nature
and symbolizes a new level of interstate interaction, influencing
not only the South Caucasus and Central Asia but also the processes
in Eurasia as a whole.
“Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan actively support each other on
international platforms – such as the UN, Non-Aligned Movement,
Organization of Turkic States, CIS, ECO, and others,” he added.
The diplomat noted that in the last three years alone, the heads
of the two states have made five mutual visits, which indicates an
unprecedented intensity of political dialogue.
Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have declared 2025 the Year of
Economic Cooperation, and this year they celebrate the 30th
anniversary of diplomatic relations. A package of events has been
prepared for the anniversary, including two high-level visits and
large-scale cultural and humanitarian initiatives.
“We attach great importance to strengthening humanitarian ties.
The celebration of the 880th anniversary of the great poet Nizami
Ganjavi in both countries was a vivid example,” he emphasized.
