Presidents of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev, who was in Tashkent on a state visit, held the first meeting of the Supreme interstate council and signed a Treaty on allied relations on Friday.
The presidents discussed deepening and expansion of Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan relations in various fields, the press service of the president of Uzbekistan said.
“In a relatively short period of time, we have succeeded in elevating Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan relations to a highest level of interstate interaction,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated at the talks.
The sides agreed to declare the next year, when the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations will be marked, as the Year of economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan and to adopt a program covering 20 priority areas.
They set tasks to multiply the volume of trade turnover and ensure transition to a new phase of industrial cooperation, including implementation of projects in third countries.
The talks touched upon the improvement of transport interconnectivity, including through the development of the Trans-сaspian сorridor.
The leaders agreed to accelerate the implementation of a large-scale regional project for the production of the green energy and its export via Azerbaijan to European countries.
The presidents hailed the results of the business forum held the day earlier, where a portfolio of promising projects worth over $2 billion was signed.
After the talks, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev held a meeting with business circles of the two countries.
“The future of cooperation lies in business. The future of multifaceted relations between the two countries depends on you,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev told the gathered.
After the meeting, the presidents participated in the ceremony of launch of several cooperation projects, including construction of hotel and residential complexes in Tashkent, production of construction materials in Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan, and creation of textile clusters, a garment factory and other initiatives in Azerbaijan.
During the visit, agreements were also signed on labor activity and protection of citizens' rights, expansion of trade, economic and investment cooperation, cooperation in tourism, agreements on cooperation between Tashkent and Baku, Shahrisabz and Beylagan, Jizzakh and Guba and other documents.
