In comments to the Azerbaijani news agency “APA”б Azamat Seitov described the state visit by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Uzbekistan on August 23–24 as the beginning of a new phase in bilateral relations. In his view, Tashkent and Baku are moving from a high level of political trust toward the establishment of long-term mechanisms for economic, investment, and regional cooperation. The expert attached particular importance to the signed Treaty of Eternal Friendship, which, in his view, cements the strategic nature of the rapprochement and provides political guarantees for the continuity of the chosen course.
Azamat Seitov emphasized that the continued stability of the alliance will depend on the parties’ ability to transform political capital into concrete economic results – joint production projects, investments, and new transport chains. He also noted the broader regional significance of the cooperation: Azerbaijan strengthens Uzbekistan’s access to European markets via the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, and Turkey, while Uzbekistan expands Baku’s opportunities for access to Central Asia and China. In his view, the successful implementation of these initiatives could make the Azerbaijani-Uzbek partnership one of the pillars of a new system of ties between Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
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