President Ilham Aliyev addresses meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia and Republic of Azerbaijan in Astana [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

On August 9, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in the meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, Azernews reports.

The President of Azerbaijan addressed the event.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich,

Dear Heads of State,

Dear friends,

At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan for the invitation to participate in the meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia.

Last year at the invitation of President of Tajikistan Emomali Sharipovich Rahmon I took part in the Summit held in Dushanbe.

The invitation of Azerbaijan to these meetings testifies to the friendly and fraternal ties and evolving cooperation between our countries.

This is my 16th visit to Central Asian countries in the last two years. During this time, my colleagues from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have visited Azerbaijan 15 times in total.

Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia represent a single historical, cultural and geopolitical space, with growing strategic importance. Our peoples share a centuries-old history, culture, religion and common values.

One of the manifestations of our brotherly relations is the support for the restoration of the territories of Karabakh liberated from Armenian occupation.

During almost 30 years of occupation, Armenia destroyed nine towns and hundreds of settlements in the then-occupied territories. Currently, the large-scale reconstruction work is underway in the liberated territories, the former IDPs are returning to their ancestral lands.

Last year, a secondary school named after Mirzo Ulugbek and this year, the Kurmangazy Children's Creativity Center were inaugurated in the town of Fuzuli, which are gifts by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, respectively. Furthermore, this year, a ceremony was held to lay the foundation stone of a secondary school in Aghdam district, which is a gift by Kyrgyzstan. I express my gratitude to the Presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan for this fraternal support.

Growing threats and challenges globally require the strengthening of cooperation between our countries in the sphere of defense and security. In this context, I would like to especially emphasize the international operational-tactical command-staff exercises “Birlestik-2024” held in Kazakhstan last month, in which Azerbaijan also took part. The training of cadets from Central Asian countries in Azerbaijan's military educational institutions is also an indicator of the development of relations in this area.

Azerbaijan is interested in close cooperation with Central Asian countries in the field of renewable energy. “The Memorandum of Cooperation on interconnection of energy systems of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan” signed this May, is the initial step in our cooperation in the field of green energy.

Another important direction of our cooperation is interaction in the sphere of transportation and transit. The increase of the throughput capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway from 1 million to 5 million tons, the measures taken to expand the annual throughput capacity of the Alat International Trade Seaport from 15 million to 25 million tons, the orders for new vessels for Azerbaijan's commercial fleet at the Caspian Sea, as well as the infrastructure projects being carried out by the Central Asian countries, further increase the practical significance of the Middle Corridor.

Investment projects with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are in full swing. Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan joint investment funds have already been established.

The Digital Silk Road project, which is underway, will contribute to the development of digital infrastructure and digital security.

Azerbaijan and the countries of Central Asia successfully cooperate in the framework of international organizations. In this regard, I would like to mention the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia - SPECA. The outcomes of the Summit held on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of SPECA in Baku last November, are important in light of developing our practical cooperation. I would like to thank the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan once again for their participation in the SPECA Summit held in Baku.

Having secured the unanimous support of the international community, Azerbaijan will host COP29 this November.

Within its COP29 Presidency, Azerbaijan stands ready to support joint initiatives with Central Asian countries to address climate change impacts in our region.

I have already sent official invitation letters to the Presidents of Central Asian countries and will be delighted to meet you again in Baku, in November.

Thank you for your attention.