Tashkent, August 23, AZERTAC

Following the document signing ceremony in Tashkent, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, made press statements.

The President of Uzbekistan made the statement first.

Statement by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev

- Dear representatives of the media. I am glad to see you and would like to once again cordially welcome the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, my dear brother, esteemed Ilham Heydarovich Aliyev and all members of the Azerbaijani delegation to the hospitable land of Uzbekistan. We are very pleased to see you. Welcome to Uzbekistan!

I would like to note with special satisfaction that the state visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan is a historic event for the development of our centuries-old friendly relations. Today, dear Ilham Heydarovich and I signed the Treaty on Allied Relations. This document marks the beginning of a new chapter in the strengthening of our interstate interaction. Thus, we have reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to the course of comprehensive development of multifaceted partnership.

Dear participants, you probably do not fully realize that today we have actually managed to sign such a document in such a short time. We are 33 years old this year. First of all, Uzbekistan has allied relations with very few countries, but we have never established such allied relations with any country in such a short period of time. I want to say again in your presence: we have made history today. This history will be realized for the benefit of the two close peoples of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. I congratulate you on this once again.

I am appealing to representatives of Uzbekistan's media: you should talk more about it, speak louder and communicate this to our population. I think your Azerbaijani colleagues will do the same, because the peoples are waiting for that. I think this is a long-awaited, most necessary treaty on allied relations.

We have also held the first meeting of the High Intergovernmental Council, which is an effective mechanism for developing and implementing new proposals for the deepening of our allied relations. You know, Ilham Heydarovich and I always agree that we issue instructions but then we oversee their implementation. At our first meeting in Azerbaijan, 10 directions of cooperation were outlined. I want to say with pleasure and with full confidence that none of these agreements remained on paper. We have real results. Today we agreed to undertake 20 new directions, these are directions of real cooperation, and Ilham Heydarovich accepted this suggestion with pleasure. I think that there are spheres and directions that we will now be deeply engaged in.

In general, the negotiations were held in a traditionally open and constructive atmosphere. I believe that the key to the success of our meeting was a lot of preparatory work. We do not just talk, we work very scrupulously in every direction, and representatives of our ministries and departments have also got used to the fact that we should only fulfill everything we plan with Azerbaijan. Since the beginning of the year, meetings of the intergovernmental commission, consultations in the spheres of politics and security, a meeting of parliamentarians, a forum of regions, a number of cultural and business events have already been held.

Dear journalists, we, in Uzbekistan, sincerely rejoice at the great successes and achievements of brotherly Azerbaijan. Today, your country is ensuring dynamic growth of economy, industry and living standards of the population, is implementing major industrial and infrastructure projects. Once again, dear Ilham Heydarovich, I sincerely congratulate you on the great and historic victory, the restoration of the country's territorial integrity and return of the ancestral Azerbaijani lands. Through your efforts, the ancient land of Karabakh is now turning into a place of development and prosperity. Construction of social infrastructure and production facilities is extensively progressing here, jobs are emerging with everything being done to bring people back to a peaceful, prosperous and happy life. I myself, while in Fuzuli and Shusha, saw the eyes of people, the infrastructure, tunnels and bridges built. Houses, schools, hospitals are under construction. In other words, I want to say that everything is being done to make people live comfortably and happily there. Everyone returning to these lands - they have been waiting for these days for years, decades - when Ilham Heydarovich and I met with them, I saw joy in their eyes about the fact that they are coming home. I once again want to assure you that Uzbekistan is ready to continue supporting you in this noble work. We have agreed in a limited format that since large-scale reconstruction of Karabakh is underway today, if a certain area or district is also allocated for Uzbek builders, we will also take part in this construction of a prosperous and new Karabakh. Ilham Heydarovich supported me very seriously with respect to the works we planned. I think we will also realize this not in words, but in deeds together with our friends.

Another important point is that in just one week, on September 1, Azerbaijan will be holding a major domestic political event – parliamentary elections. In November, Baku will also be hosting the global climate summit. We sincerely wish them to be successful and will provide all possible support to our brothers.

Dear journalists, Azerbaijan is an important strategic partner for us and, starting from today, it is an ally. We are linked by common historical roots and centuries-old friendship. We share the same religion and similar culture and traditions. All this serves as a solid foundation for the deepening of comprehensive cooperation.

Today we have discussed in detail the entire range of our multifaceted relations and heard reports on some key areas. First of all, these are trade, industrial cooperation, energy, transportation and agriculture, where we have great opportunities, security, culture and other areas. We agreed to strengthen our political dialog, provide mutual support at multilateral platforms, continue active contacts at the level of parliaments, governments, industries, ministries and, most importantly, regions. Special attention has been paid to building up practical cooperation. We have emphasized the importance of increasing the volume of trade. There are all grounds and calculations to double the current volume of trade. We started, figuratively speaking, from scratch, but now we have brought it to this level. There is every reason to increase it many times more. We have agreed to declare next year a Year of Economic Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan with the adoption, as I have already said, of a 20-point program. During the talks, we dwelled upon specific cooperation projects. Earlier, a business forum was fruitful, with dozens of contracts and agreements signed. Today we will hold a separate meeting with representatives of our businesses. This is also the first time. Together we will launch important projects, such as the construction of a hotel, textile clusters, a garment factory, production of construction materials, etc. As you know, a joint investment company with a capital of 500 million dollars is successfully operating to promote such projects. We agreed to elaborate issues of participation in promising projects in third countries.

We will also continue our joint efforts to strengthen transportation interconnectivity, including through the development of the Trans-Caspian Corridor. We will maximize the potential of interregional ties. In May, a forum of regions was successfully held in the town of Guba. We have decided to adopt a road map for interregional cooperation, to hold another forum next year in the city of Kokand, and to create tourist complexes in the capitals. We will continue an active exchange in the sphere of culture, youth, information policy, science, education and sports. It has become a good tradition to hold annual Days of Culture and Cinema, exhibitions, tours of creative groups of our two countries. It is very important that such events take place more often in the regions where the bulk of our population lives. A joint concert will also be held today, where our legendary stars Farrukh Zakirov and Polad Bulbuloglu will perform. In recognition of their high merits, respected Ilham Heydarovich and I have recently decided to award them the honorary title of People's Artists.

In general, I want to say that I am very satisfied with the results of the open and, I would say, trust-based negotiations, because we discussed many international, regional and bilateral issues very seriously yesterday and today. I want to tell you that we have similar positions. We have agreed that we have the same positions on all issues, that we will cooperate on all platforms and promote our relations together. As a result, we have reached important and specific agreements, signed a substantial package of agreements on key areas of cooperation. I would like to sincerely thank Ilham Heydarovich for supporting all our proposals. I am convinced that the fruitful results of your historic visit will give a powerful impetus to the further development of Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations and serve to strengthen the relations of friendship and cooperation.

It is with great pleasure that I would now like to give the floor to Ilham Heydarovich.

x x x

Then, the President of Azerbaijan made the statement.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Thank you, dear Shavkat Miromonovich, my dear brother. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the invitation. It is a great pleasure to visit brotherly Uzbekistan and witness once again the rapid development of our fraternal country.

I have repeatedly visited Uzbekistan at different times, particularly often in recent years. I can clearly see and rejoice in the magnificent transformations the people of Uzbekistan are undergoing under the leadership of Shavkat Miromonovich. Cities are getting better, and the industry is developing extensively. During my last visit to Tashkent, we visited a large industrial complex together. All this is the result of wise policy, the attraction of foreign investments, and the creation of a favorable business environment. The daily efforts in socioeconomic development and a huge number of social projects – all this defines today's Uzbekistan. Also, we should add to this the growth of the country's authority in the international arena. Today, Uzbekistan has become a country with strong political authority not only in the region but also on a global scale. We are sincerely happy about it. The most recent evidence of Shavkat Miromonovich's wise policy is the historic success of Uzbek athletes at the Summer Olympics. They won many medals, including eight gold, becoming the first country in the Muslim world and 13th globally. This is a historic achievement. I would like to congratulate you once again on behalf of the entire Azerbaijani people.

As I mentioned, I frequently visit the fraternal land of Uzbekistan. In preparation for this visit, I looked at the schedule of my visits and the schedule of Shavkat Miromonovich’s visits and saw that this is my fifth visit in the last two years, while Shavkat Miromonovich has visited Azerbaijan four times in the last year and a half. If we add to this the fact that we will see each other again in November at COP, then we are just leveling the score. This is the best indicator. This is not to mention our meetings within the framework of international events in other countries. This is the key to all the successes we talked about today. We also heard reports at the first meeting of the High Intergovernmental Council. The new initiative to increase specific projects to 20 is the result of the fact that everything we agreed on in the past has been fulfilled. There is not a single point where we could criticize the members of our delegations, so to speak. This should not, of course, make them complacent, but we must always be objective and fair. Therefore, in fact, we see exactly the same attitude among members of the Azerbaijani and Uzbek delegations.

As Shavkat Miromonovich noted, today we have officially become allies. This is, in fact, I agree, a historic moment. The Treaty on Allied Relations is the highest international document any two countries can sign. Today in Tashkent, we are actually writing a new a book of our relations, not just a chapter. I think that the souls of all our ancestors, who, I am sure, hover above us and bless us for this, will be rejoicing. Today, two fraternal peoples, two independent powerful, sovereign, and worthy states have become official allies. This is the most important foreign policy step that will determine our relations and, in many ways, regional policy for all coming years. Because we are working hard and, as Shavkat Miromonovich said, a variety of issues were discussed, both regional and international policy. Today, the region of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, along with the Caspian Sea, is turning into a single geopolitical region, and positive processes in our regions largely depend on effective cooperation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.

Therefore, this is an event, I will echo your words, that the public of our countries should evaluate very correctly. I am sure that, hearing what we are talking about, they experience the same feelings of joy for the fact that we have reached this level. And Shavkat Miromonovich is absolutely right when he says that this was done in a record short time. In other words, we carried out our work so intensively to bring our countries closer together that it took literally several years to reach this level.

Of the issues that we discussed today, Shavkat Miromonovich has already spoken about them. I would like to highlight only one project, because it is significant – the creation of a new light industry enterprise in the city of Khankendi, which has been liberated from occupation. This is another symbol of the brotherhood and friendship of our peoples. We have always - during the years of occupation, during the Second Karabakh War and afterwards - felt the fraternal support of the entire Uzbek people. I also spoke about this today. Uzbekistan was the first country that, at the initiative of the President, provided us not only with moral support but also with support for the restoration of the liberated territories. Exactly one year ago, on August 23 last year, we were in Fuzuli, attending the opening of the Mirzo Ulugbek school, which is designed for 960 pupils and is a symbol of our relations, a symbol of the fraternal attitude of our Uzbek brothers towards us. This is also the standard that Shavkat Miromonovich is following in Uzbekistan. He has already built many such schools in Uzbekistan and has constructed a similar one on our soil as well. I have already received information that about 500 students are already studying there, but soon there will be as many as the school is designed for because the process of returning former IDPs is successfully continuing.

Thank you for your words about Karabakh. For us, as you all know, this has been the number one topic for almost 30 years. The restoration of territorial integrity and then full sovereignty in September last year means the restoration of historical justice and international law. I am sincerely grateful for such an attitude.

Today we will also meet with a group of business people. Although the business forum has already completed its work, there are still specific projects that are currently in the implementation stage. Therefore, we want to listen to them and give new instructions. Also, within the framework of today's discussions, we reviewed many new topics, first of all, how to increase our trade, fill our trade and economic ties with concrete content, as well as joint work in third countries. To do this, we will probably need to increase the capital of our joint investment fund because, as you have already heard, 500 million has already been covered by projects. So we will increase it both for the bilateral agenda and for accessing third countries with investments.

We, as brothers and allies, continue to move forward with confidence and dignity, shoulder to shoulder, and will maintain this course. Once again, thank you for the hospitality and invitation. Thank you.