By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijan on Sunday formally joined the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia as a full member, following the latest edition of the regional gathering held in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent.
Baku’s full membership was confirmed during the seventh summit of the platform, where Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev described the move as a “strategic step” that aligns with the interests of “our peoples, who are firmly bound by a shared history, family ties, spiritual and cultural affinity.”
“I am firmly convinced that the accession of fraternal Azerbaijan will give the Consultative Meetings a powerful impetus and open new horizons for expanding trade, economic, investment, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation,” Mirziyoyev said, according to a statement by the Uzbek presidency.
“In essence, we will build a strong bridge between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, paving the way for the formation of a unified space for cooperation, which will undoubtedly strengthen the strategic connectivity and resilience of both regions,” he added.
The Uzbek presidency also announced the signing of four additional documents following the summit, including a joint statement and an appeal to the UN supporting Kyrgyzstan’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2027–2028.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thanked regional leaders for admitting his country as a full member, saying the decision would further enhance cooperation and interaction. He said that Central Asia and Azerbaijan now constitute a “single geopolitical and geo-economic region, whose importance in the world is steadily growing,” a trend he attributed to deepening ties between Baku and regional capitals.
“Today, Azerbaijan and Central Asia serve as a vital link and bridge between East and West, North and South,” Aliyev said in a presidential statement, stressing that the development of the Middle Corridor is of strategic significance for their countries.
“Joint efforts to modernize the transport and logistical infrastructure, synchronize and digitalize customs procedures open up vast opportunities for increasing the volumes of cargo, strengthening economic resilience, and expanding cooperation in international markets,” he added.
Azerbaijan previously participated in the platform’s 2023 and 2024 summits, held in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. The first consultative meeting of Central Asian leaders was convened in 2018.