(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Adkhamjon Janobiddinov
Looking back at history, we can witness that Uzbeks and
Azerbaijanis have traditionally had very close relations in
cultural, economic, and various spheres for centuries. The mutual
respect and trust between the two Turkic nations have further
advanced after they gained their sovereignty.
Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan also enjoyed good relations during the
Soviet Union when they were part of a single state. In 1966, when
Tashkent was struck by a devastating earthquake, Azerbaijan
extended a helping hand to the Uzbek people.
Official relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan started in
1995. In 1996, the embassy of Azerbaijan in Uzbekistan and in 1998
the embassy of Uzbekistan in Azerbaijan opened. Uzbekistan's first
President Islam Karimov visited Azerbaijan for the first time in
May 1996. During his visit, he was awarded the title of honorary
doctor of the Baku State University.
In October 1996, Heydar Aliyev visited Uzbekistan to participate
in the forum of the Turkic states and the 660th anniversary of Amir
Timur. During Heydar Aliyev's visit to Uzbekistan in 1997, he was
awarded an honorary doctorate by Tashkent University.
Moreover, the two countries enjoy close ties in other spheres.
Reporters, who witnessed conversations between the former
presidents of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, said they communicated
without an interpreter. Both leaders said really warm words about
each other. According to Xabaruz, the former president of
Uzbekistan once said that“the people of Azerbaijan deserve to be
envied for having such a leader. The main thing is that he has a
clear, thorough and consistent policy and position”.
For his turn, Heydar Aliyev also said nice words about Islam
Karimov's courage.
Today, the relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are very
close. For instance, a meeting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation
between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan was held on August 1, 2022.
During the meeting, agreements were reached on strengthening
cooperation in the trade, economic, agricultural, energy,
healthcare, transport and logistics, and environmental sectors, in
the provision of public services, cultural, humanitarian, social,
and tourism sectors.
In September 2022, President Ilham Aliyev visited Uzbekistan to
attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Samarkand.
In November 2022, President Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva
were welcomed as guests of honor in Samarkand, where President
Aliyev attended the Summit of Organizations of Turkic
Countries.
Furthermore, the volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and
Uzbekistan reached $131.06 million from January through September
2022. This figure was $111.9 million in 2021. It is also important
to mention that the Azerbaijani Department and the Heydar Aliyev
library were founded under the Tashkent University of Oriental
Studies in 2022.
Tags: azerbaijan heydar aliyev ilham aliyev uzbekistan islam karimov shavkat mirziyoyev