Astana: President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Kazakhstan on October 20-21 was an important event that further strengthened relations between Baku and Astana. The visit accelerated both the deepening of the strategic alliance between the two countries and the formation of a new geoeconomic reality in the South Caucasus-Central Asia region.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s personally welcoming and seeing off Ilham Aliyev at the airport became the symbol of the high level of partnership. Tokayev’s description of Aliyev as a ‘historic, distinguished leader’ highlighted the important role of leadership in the success of these relations.
At the center of the visit was the second meeting of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Supreme Interstate Council. During the meeting, a number of documents covering energy, transport and logistics, digitalization, artificial intelligence, industrial safety, and culture were signed. These agreements established the legal basis for the formation of a ‘sustainable route’ along the Middle Corridor.
The decision by Baku to lift restrictions on cargo transit towards Armenia was also regarded as an important step, realizing the economic dividends of peace in the region. The transit of Kazakhstani cargo through Azerbaijan demonstrates both the liberalization of regional trade and the practical results of Baku-Astana cooperation. The leaders’ visit to the ‘Alem.AI’ International Artificial Intelligence Center in Astana demonstrated that digital integration between the two countries has become a priority. This is a signal of political support for the development of the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable and digital trade platforms.
Political analyst Sultan Zahidov, a leading adviser at the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center), said in his statement to APA that the state visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Kazakhstan on October 20-21 initiated a new stage of strategic cooperation between the two countries. According to him, President Ilham Aliyev’s visit holds significant importance in terms of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries. It should be noted that this is President Ilham Aliyev’s seventh visit to Kazakhstan in the last three years. During the same period, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has also visited Azerbaijan six times.
According to the expert, the two countries also share common interests in the fields of energy, agriculture, industry, investment, and transport-logistics. In particular, both states are key leading participants in the Middle Corridor project. This project not only ensures strategic freight transportation between Asia and Europe but also makes a significant contribution to the region’s economic integration. The presentation of the project for the development of the Middle Corridor by Kazakhstan as part of President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Kazakhstan demonstrated that Baku and Astana will continue their joint efforts to further improve this transport route and increase the volume of freight transportation.
Sultan Zahidov added that it is important to view Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan relations not only in a bilateral but also in a multilateral context. Because both countries actively cooperate in a number of international and regional organizations, including the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), and support each other’s positions. Regular meetings, mutual initiatives, and future plans within this organization further confirm the strength of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Sharing his thoughts with APA on the results of the President’s visit, Almat Toyekin, an expert of the Foreign Policy Research Institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted that the visit took place at a high level, in an atmosphere of mutual trust and strategic partnership. According to the expert, President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Kazakhstan created an important political and economic impulse for transitioning the relations between the two countries to a new stage of development.
According to expert Almat Toyekin, President Ilham Aliyev’s visit holds significant importance not only for bilateral relations but also for strengthening strategic cooperation within the Turkic world. In his view, as Ilham Aliyev emphasized within the framework of the Organization of the Turkic States, the main priority is to deepen cooperation among Turkic-speaking countries in all fields – economic, humanitarian, and even military-technical directions.
The expert noted that expanding cooperation in industry, agriculture, education, and logistics increases the strategic depth of Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan relations and strengthens President Ilham Aliyev’s influence in the region. In the next phase, expanding cooperation in industrial cooperation, agriculture, and shipbuilding, as well as strengthening humanitarian and educational ties, especially integration among youth, universities, NGOs, and civil society, is considered a priority direction.
According to him, the Azerbaijani diaspora in Kazakhstan and the Kazakh community in Azerbaijan play an important bridge role in this process, further strengthening the social foundations of friendship and mutual trust between the two peoples.