Azernews.Az

By Akbar Mammadov

President Ilham Aliyev has said that active political dialogue exists between Azerbaijan and the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan and good results have been achieved in bilateral cooperation in transport, logistics and other areas.

Aliyev made the remark while receiving the credentials of the newly appointed Uzbek Ambassador Bahrom Ashrafkhanov on August 18.

Noting that the cooperation between the two countries is based on brotherly relations between the peoples, Aliyev stressed that there are good prospects for the development of relations with Uzbekistan in all areas.

Aliyev expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral relations and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Emphasizing the active political dialogue between the two countries, the president said that Azerbaijan closely cooperates with Uzbekistan within international organizations, including the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council).

Aliyev pointed out that the participation of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the summit of Turkic Council in Baku in October 2019 made an important contribution to the development of the cooperation between the two countries.

He also emphasized that fruitful discussions were held with the Uzbek leader on cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, transport and logistics, agriculture, as well as cotton and other areas during the visit. Noting that his visit to Uzbekistan was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Aliyev said he would visit Uzbekistan when the epidemiological situation allows.

The president expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan for its support as a member state in adopting relevant statements within the Turkic Council in connection with the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan in the Tovuz region on the border on July 12, and for Taskhent's unequivocal support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

In turn, Ambassador Ashrafkhanov noted that the Uzbek president’s participation in the summit of Turkic Council in Baku in October last year and the meetings at the level of heads of state gave important impetus to the development of the bilateral relations.

The ambassador said that his country has benefited from Azerbaijan’s best practices, adding that Uzbekistan has set up the Agency for State Services based on the example of Azerbaijan’s "ASAN service".

The ambassador added that Uzbekistan attaches great importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan in the field of transport and logistics, the transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan and Central Asia via the Caspian Sea and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.

Ashrafkhanov stressed that Uzbekistan has always supported the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

Ashrafkhanov said that Uzbekistan attaches great importance to the development of trade and economic relations with Azerbaijan and Baku is Tashkent’s strategic partner among the CIS countries in terms of trade and economic cooperation. Moreover, the ambassador said that Azerbaijan's experience in agriculture, especially hazelnut and pomegranate, is of interest to Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek envoy also expressed confidence that President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Uzbekistan will give impetus to the expansion and deepening of the cooperation between the two countries.

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