Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Astana to participate in the VI Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia. Ilham Aliyev was met by Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov at the capital's airport.

Bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are developing across the whole spectrum of trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian interaction. Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan increased by 14.3% last year and amounted to $529.4 million, in January-June this year it amounted to $280.6 million.

The governments are implementing joint projects in oil and gas, transport and logistics, digital communications and space industry. Among them are projects within the Trans-Caspian international transport route, laying fiber-optic communication line and deep-water electric cable along the Caspian Sea bed. A joint Direct Investment Fund has also been established to unlock the potential of bilateral cooperation.

For reference: The Consultative Meetings of Heads of State of Central Asia have been held since 2018 and are aimed at deepening and expanding regional cooperation. Over the past five years (2018-2023), the volume of mutual trade has grown from $5.7 billion to $11 billion. Kazakhstan's trade with Central Asian countries grew by 26.8% last year, reaching the $8 billion mark.

 

#Olzhas Bektenov #The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan #International Cooperation