Presidents of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev, following the talks, signed a Declaration on deepening strategic partnership and building up comprehensive cooperation between the two countries on Tuesday, the presidential press service said.
The two heads of state also oversaw the signing of 18 accords between the governments, ministries and departments of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. Among them are agreements on cooperation between regions in the field of industry, international road transport, the fight against illegal migration, quarantine and plant protection, military and military-technical cooperation, as well as a cooperation program in the field of tourism.
Ilham Aliyev visited Uzbekistan on a state visit. At the talks, the President of Uzbekistan stressed that Azerbaijan was a close friend and time-tested reliable strategic partner of Uzbekistan and noted that the countries have a huge potential for cooperation, which must be used.
The parties reached an agreement on the creation of a joint Investment Fund for the development and promotion of promising cooperation projects in the two countries.
Measures were agreed to improve the efficiency of the transport communications system, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. A special working group will be created to remove obstacles to bilateral trade and transit of goods.
The two leaders agreed that in the near future the capitals and major cities of the two countries would establish partnership relations. Shavkat Mirziyoyev suggested holding the first Forum of Regions and an exhibition of their industrial potential in Tashkent this year.
Summing up the results of the negotiations, the President of Uzbekistan called the visit of the head of Azerbaijan a "historic one and a breakthrough”. “Today we have created all the conditions for further strengthening the friendship of the two fraternal peoples and deepening the strategic partnership of our countries,” he stressed.
Ilham Aliyev agreed: “I think this is really a breakthrough visit. Because in the substance, in form, and in content of the topics discussed, according to the decisions we have reached, this visit and agreements will be the basis for the future development of our relations.”
