On November 15^th, 2025 Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, conducted an official visit to Uzbekistan and maintained a productive one-on-one meeting with his counterpart, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This working visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan is taking place at a pivotal moment for the

Economic integration of Central Asian nations, a geography that heavily depends on the dynamic land transportation corridors including the East – West Corridor and Zangezur corridor (an increasingly important segment that could heavily harness the economic and industrial integration of Central Asia region and reduce the global dependence on troublesome chokepoints emanating from maritime trade routes).

The recent visit of President of Azerbaijan to Tashkent is an impeccable achievement of Baku's Foreign Service, its economic and political implications are similar to the outcome of the 12th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) that was held in Gabala - Azerbaijan, on October 7^th, 2025.

The Turkic States Summit in Gabala was indeed a great opportunity for Central Asian and Turkic nations to shape a better platform of regional integration and development brought together by Azerbaijan, a developed nation that has made remarkable strides towards green economy, circular economy and environmental preservation practices.

On November 16, the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated at this multilateral round table.

On this occasion, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed the Azerbaijani leader, and delivered an opening statement, emphasizing:

“We are making fundamental decisions on the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the consultative meetings format as a full-fledged participant. We will build a solid bridge between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, paving the way for the formation of a unified space of cooperation, which will undoubtedly strengthen the strategic interconnectedness and resilience of both regions. I sincerely thank all my esteemed colleagues for adopting this important decision and congratulate Ilham Heydarovich on Azerbaijan's accession to the consultative meetings format as a full-fledged participant.”

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev praised the strengthening of solidarity and the aspiration for joint development projects that embolden international leverage and uphold the role of Central Asia on a global scale. Contrary to performance of other multilateral organizations, cooperation within the“Central Asia+” formats has intensified and the Republic of Azerbaijan has emerged as a principal actor of integration in a world smothered by fragile global cooperation.

The region now speaks with a unified voice on authoritative international platforms. Certainly, with Azerbaijan's accession to this interactive roundtable, the geo-economic interests of Central Asian nations will reach greater levels of pragmatism and relevance across Europe, Latin America, Africa and southeast Asia.

For President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the accession of Azerbaijan is“a historic decision”. The Kazakhstan head of state expressed confidence that Azerbaijan will make a substantial contribution to strengthening regional cooperation.

Furthermore, the Kyrgyz Republic supported the initiative for the Republic of Azerbaijan to participate in this format of consultative meetings as a full member. President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov stated:“Expanding our format with fraternal Azerbaijan will open new opportunities and broaden horizons for cooperation in Central Asia, particularly in international transit, logistics, and energy. Today, we can confidently say that the consultative meetings format of the Central Asian heads of state has proven successful. It has demonstrated its viability and become a genuine, one-of-a-kind platform where not only existing regional challenges are discussed, but new initiatives and proposals are actively put forward.”

On its accession to the Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia, Azerbaijan was congratulated by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, who made a statement:“I congratulate esteemed Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev on the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia. It is gratifying that our platform is confidently establishing its significance as an important participant in international and regional processes. It is balanced and demonstrates a commitment to advancing the growing interests of the countries in the region.”

The participation of impressive Baku in the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia will advance the region towards a greater level of cooperation in: industrial development, green economy, technological innovation and supply chain sector.

With the admission of Azerbaijan, Central Asian countries will receive an elevated international standing, achieve effective economic reforms and large-scale projects in industry, transport and agriculture.

The relations between Azerbaijan and Central Asian nations are very special, uniquely bonded by historical heritage and shared cultural traditions. They are bound together by centuries-old history, spiritual and cultural heritage, brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity. This alliance has a nature of strategic partnership and Azerbaijan's president has conducted fourteen official visits to Central Asian countries over the past three years. During the same period, Central Asian heads of states have visited Baku twenty-three times.

Azerbaijan and Central Asia are poised to serve as a vital corridor and commercial bridge that will connect Western European countries with the Far East markets and Southeast Asian nations, at a critical time when principles of globalization and free trade are at a crossroad.

The Republic of Azerbaijan will continue to play a vital role towards harnessing the fraternal nature of its relations with Central Asian governments, this strategic concept is the fulcrum of Baku vibrant Diplomacy.

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About the author: Peter Tase is a freelance writer and journalist of International Relations, Latin American and Southern Caucasus current affairs. He is the author of America's first book published on the historical and archeological treasures of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan (Republic of Azerbaijan); has authored and published four books on the Foreign Policy and current economic – political events of the Government of Azerbaijan.

The views and opinions expressed by guest columnists in their articles may differ from those of the editorial board and do not necessarily reflect its views.

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