Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan amplify their diverse interstate connections.
Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan Ties: A Sizzling Alliance
ASTANA - In a bid to fortify the multifaceted bond between nations, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the official visit of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on March 11. This gathering, as reported by Akorda, aims to deepen the interstate ties.
Bayramov, expressing gratitude on behalf of President Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani people, acknowledged Kazakhstan's swift aid following the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau.
The duo discussed pivotal strategic projects such as the fiber-optic communication line and deep-sea electric cable along the Caspian Sea bed, as well as trade, investment, digitalization, transit, and transport cooperation.
At a rendezvous with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, Bayramov lauded the fivefold increase in trade turnover over the past five years, reaching $533.4 million in 2024, and expressed ambitions to escalate this figure to $1 billion.
They reminisced over the fruitful alliance in transporting Kazakhstan's energy resources via Azerbaijan. By the end of 2024, oil transported through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline reached 1.4 million tons, with projections to surpass 2.2 million tons annually in the near future.
The pair consented to intensify collaboration in agriculture, industrial cooperation, space, and telecommunications cooperation. The Kazakh-Azerbaijani Investment Fund for Direct Investments, established in 2024, stimulates dialogue.
The conversation also revolved around cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Over the past two years, the Days of Culture of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have garnered widespread appreciation. In March, Baku hosted the Days of Kazakh Higher Education, during which 23 Kazakh universities inked 40 memorandums on inter-university cooperation.
The meeting culminated in the signing of the Plan of Inter-Ministerial Cooperation for 2025-2026.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are currently caught in an electrifying dance, with their eyes set on numerous stages such as trade, energy, and cultural matters. Here's a lowdown on their present state and future aims:
Present Status
- Political and Interparliamentary Relations: The two countries have robust strategic interparliamentary relationships, with their primary focus on bolstering bilateral and multilateral ties, including collaboration within international organizations like the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TurkPA).
- Military Cooperation: Regular military visits have been underscored as vital for nurturing military bonds between the two nations.
Aspirations for the Future
- Trade and Logistics: Both countries aim to enhance cooperation in transport, communications, trade, and logistics, with ambitions to boost regional connectivity and infrastructure development.
- Energy and Infrastructure: Future collaborations are expected to zero in on energy exports and infrastructure construction, leveraging Azerbaijan's prowess in the energy sector.
- Cultural Cooperation: The historical and kin-like ties between the nations are cornerstones, with ongoing endeavors to further deepen cultural and parliamentary ties via platforms such as TurkPA.
- Multilateral Cooperation: The countries stand resolved to fortify their positions within multilateral platforms, such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
In essence, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are gear-shifting towards a comprehensive partnership that encompasses economic, political, and cultural facets, with a particular focus on regional stability and cooperation.
- The discussion between the Kazakh and Azerbaijani leaders highlighted potential collaborations in various sectors, including finance, with the aim of increasing trade turnover and creating a Kazakh-Azerbaijani Investment Fund for Direct Investments.
- The political alliance between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan stretches beyond economics, as they also aim to strengthen cultural ties, such as through the Days of Culture exchanges, and foster cooperation in international organizations, specifically the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
