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AzerNEWS Staff

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Dispatch News Desk (DND) News Agency of Pakistan reported that President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Uzbekistan is providing fresh momentum to Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations while strengthening the emerging partnership between the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are both relatively young nations, but they have accomplished remarkable achievements in human development and established themselves as important and reliable states. The visit is certainly part of a series of events within the broader strategy pursued by Baku and Tashkent to link the South Caucasus and Central Asia as a single geopolitical space. Such a reshaping would serve regional interests. Linking the South Caucasus and Central Asia through the development of transport routes would further consolidate this vision.

On August 23, President Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev delivered joint press statements in Tashkent that provided insight into the deep-rooted relations between the two nations. Their statements also offered international relations analysts an opportunity to better understand the background to the signing of the “Treaty on Eternal Friendship.” The treaty is not simply a document; rather, it reflects a shared commitment to deepening cooperation, expanding opportunities for interaction and building a common future.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev rightly said during the joint press statement that relations between the two nations are based on a shared civilizational code, common historical roots, centuries-old friendship, enduring spiritual values, and similar cultures and traditions. This profound bond makes relations between the two countries solid and resilient to external circumstances.

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are enhancing cooperation in trade, industry, energy and transport, while strengthening political dialogue and maintaining active contacts between their parliaments, governments, sectoral agencies and regions. The collective investment fund established several years ago also plays an important role in promoting joint business initiatives.

In his remarks to the media, President Ilham Aliyev lauded President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s efforts to strengthen Uzbekistan’s potential, enhance its position in the international arena and address the country’s most important socio-economic challenges.

President Ilham Aliyev added that when President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over the leadership of Uzbekistan, the situation was completely different, and he had to make tremendous efforts to put the country on the path of development. He essentially had to build the economic foundations for the country’s development from scratch, diversify the economy, develop industry and agriculture on a diversified basis, and attract investment into sectors that had, and continue to have, significant potential.

President Ilham Aliyev stated that Central Asia and Azerbaijan today constitute a single geopolitical and geo-economic region with enormous potential. He said that close interaction between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan would largely determine the overall positive development dynamics of this vast and increasingly integrated region.

It may be mentioned that President Ilham Aliyev and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also attended the opening ceremony of the National Pedagogical University named after Nizami Ganjavi in Tashkent. The two heads of state were briefed on the history of the National Pedagogical University named after Nizami Ganjavi and the facilities available there. In 1935, the Tashkent Pedagogical Institute was established on the basis of the Faculty of Pedagogy of the Central Asian State University. In 1947, the institution was renamed the Tashkent State Pedagogical Institute named after Nizami, and since 1998, it has operated as the Tashkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizami.

The university comprises six higher pedagogical schools, as well as a Joint Education Higher School and a master’s department. In total, it has 33 departments and offers 38 bachelor’s degree programmes and 31 master’s degree programmes. With 730 teachers and scientific-pedagogical staff members, the university has more than 17,000 students, including six Azerbaijani citizens studying at undergraduate and master’s levels as well as independent researchers. At the same time, 250 students from 13 countries are pursuing their studies at the university.

The National Pedagogical University named after Nizami Ganjavi has signed memorandums of understanding with the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, Baku Slavic University, Baku State University, Azerbaijan University of Languages, Mingachevir State University, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, and Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction.

Under these agreements, joint scientific research and international conferences, academic and scientific exchanges, and cultural and educational ties are being developed. As part of cooperation with Azerbaijan, the first five graduates of Secondary School No. 1 named after Mirzo Ulugbek in the city of Fuzuli have earned the right to study at the university on a grant basis.

Regional experts believe that President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Uzbekistan will provide new strategic impetus to bilateral relations. The visit links bilateral cooperation to broader regional and global dynamics, as Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan ties are emerging as a geopolitical platform on a transregional scale that extends beyond the traditional bilateral framework.