President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in an interview with the “Azerbaijan” newspaper and APA news agency before his visit to Azerbaijan, highlighted the foundational elements for the successful development of relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. He stressed the centuries-old brotherly ties between the Kazakh and Azerbaijani peoples, the years of fruitful cooperation between the two states, mutual support on the international stage, and notably, the personal trustful and friendly relations with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Tokayev believes these personal relations contribute to strengthening mutual understanding across the entire spectrum of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
President Tokayev took the opportunity to congratulate Ilham Aliyev on his convincing victory in the recent presidential elections, acknowledging the Azerbaijani leader’s role in ensuring national unity, territorial integrity, and dynamic state development. He remarked that his official visit to Azerbaijan in 2022 marked a breakthrough in the partnership between Baku and Astana, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This visit led to the adoption of a joint declaration on strengthening strategic relations and deepening alliance interactions, marking a new stage in their collaboration.
The President noted that modern Kazakh-Azerbaijani relations are thriving, with systematic efforts to increase contacts across political, economic, transit-transport, energy, agricultural, cultural, and other spheres. The formation and operation of Business and Expert Councils, in addition to traditional mechanisms of interaction, and the launch of the Supreme Interstate Council during his visit to Baku, signify a deepening of ties.
With about 40 significant bilateral documents signed in the last one and a half years and a solid package of documents prepared for the upcoming visit, the legal framework is expanding, promising to invigorate their interaction further. Trade between the two countries has nearly quintupled since 2020, showing impressive growth from $109 million to $529 million, with plans to continue increasing volumes.
Tokayev mentioned several projects of significant importance for both countries and the region, including expanding the capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), laying a fiber-optic cable and an energy cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, and exporting oil and uranium through Azerbaijan. Initiatives aimed at strengthening cultural ties and increasing tourist flows between the two countries are also in the works.
“Our common goal is to create truly strong relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, both in a strategic and an alliance sense. I am confident that with our joint efforts, we will achieve this goal,” the President stated, underlining the commitment to a robust and enduring partnership.
