A consultative meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and Azerbaijan took place in the Avaza national tourism zone on October 8, TDH reports.
In his address at the meeting, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted, “The dynamic growth of our countries’ economies, their diversification and the enhancement of their quality and technological level enable us to significantly strengthen business ties.”
It was noted that the role of Central Asia and Azerbaijan in regional and global affairs is steadily growing, specifically as vital logistics and energy development hubs, which opens up promising avenues for cooperation with partners in Asia and Europe.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov identified key priorities, including attaching new momentum to trade, economic and investment cooperation and joining forces to transform Central Asia and Azerbaijan into key and indispensable players in the continent’s transport, logistics, energy and industrial corridors along the East–West and North–South routes. Furthermore, the importance of creating conditions for accelerated technological development and the adoption of artificial intelligence, with the aim of achieving competitive global standing in these areas, was highlighted.
Speaking of the vast opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector, the President noted that this involves not only pipeline routes but also projects for supplying electricity to interested nations and establishing sustainable links within the electric power industry. This represents a crucial foundation for the future, ensuring the reliability of our countries’ energy security and serving as a significant safeguard against the volatility and instability of the global energy market that we are witnessing today.
“Diversifying trade among our countries and increasing trade volumes are also a pressing task. Here, too, I believe it would be appropriate to establish a mechanism for six-party cooperation,” Serdar Berdimuhamedov continued.
The leaders of the Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan then delivered their addresses. Their speeches contained concrete proposals for expanding multifaceted cooperation that would help further strengthen the economic potential of Central Asia and Azerbaijan.
Addressing the heads of state, the President of Turkmenistan emphasized that their meeting helped set a constructive and productive course for this process. The proposals, ideas and initiatives, put forward by the heads of state, are highly specific and aimed at maximizing the region’s immense collective potential. The six-party format of the Consultative Meeting opens up significant new opportunities for achieving these goals.
The leader of Turkmenistan congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the decision to host the next Consultative Meeting in Azerbaijan in 2027.
At the conclusion of the meeting, a Joint Statement on the outcomes of the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan and a Decision on the regulatory documents for the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan were signed.
