Tashkent, August 23, AZERTAC

On August 23, an award ceremony honoring the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan was held in Tashkent.

First, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed the ceremony, saying:

— Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Once again, welcome to Uzbekistan. Each of our meetings becomes part of history, and today’s visit is also historic. Today, we reviewed all areas of cooperation and all projects in detail, and Ilham Heydarovich expressed his strong support. We adopted a new roadmap and agreed to increase bilateral trade to USD 1 billion. Of course, this is not the limit.

Dear friends,

The President of Azerbaijan’s visit to Uzbekistan is a historic event. We must always keep in mind where we started, where we are today, and what we have achieved through the determination of the two leaders. This is an enormous achievement in such a short period of time. I told Ilham Heydarovich that for 27 years, there had been no tangible results in our relations. Those who are familiar with the situation will know what I mean.

So today, we are opening a new chapter in our bilateral relations. We sincerely admire the achievements of brotherly Azerbaijan. Under your leadership, dear Ilham Heydarovich, Azerbaijan is achieving tremendous success in its development and on the international stage. As close friends, neighbors and allies, we always rejoice in these achievements. By restoring the country's territorial integrity, you once again united your people. And you are continuing the work of your great father with dignity, faithfully following his wise guidance and realizing his aspirations and dreams. During my visits to Azerbaijan, I have personally witnessed the major transformations taking place in Garabagh and its dynamic development. Azerbaijan, as I always say, is our close, reliable and time-tested friend and partner.

The peoples of our two countries have been bound by fraternal ties, a shared history and religion, as well as similar cultures, languages and traditions since time immemorial. Ilham Heydarovich, you have made an immense contribution to the development of multifaceted cooperation with Uzbekistan. You stood at the forefront of the alliance between our countries.

I am confident that the Treaty on Eternal Friendship will give new substance to our relations. Today, I am particularly pleased to present you, a true friend of our country, with the highest state award—the highest degree of the “Dostlik” Order. It is a symbol of respect and recognition of your outstanding contribution to strengthening Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan relations founded on eternal friendship, strategic partnership and alliance.

I sincerely congratulate you. I wish you good health and new successes in your state activities, and the brotherly people of Azerbaijan peace and progress. You know, I am very pleased that this day has come. I signed the decree with great pleasure, and I was proud to see this day come. Ilham Heydarovich, I congratulate you on this occasion. This is the highest order of the Uzbek state, and you can be certain that you have truly earned it. Congratulations.

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President Shavkat Mirziyoyev presented the highest degree of the “Dostlik” (Friendship) Order to the President of Azerbaijan.

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President Ilham Aliyev then addressed the event, saying:

— Dear friends,

First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you for such high recognition of my work. It is a great honor for me to be awarded the highest degree of the “Dostlik” Order. You said “Ali derejeli,” which is exactly how it is pronounced in Azerbaijani. I would also like to sincerely thank you for such a brotherly gesture. I will make every effort in the future to be worthy of this high award and to continue my efforts to strengthen friendship and brotherhood between our peoples and our countries.

In his remarks, Shavkat Miromonovich highlighted the strategic and allied nature of our relations. We have reached this level of relations in a relatively short period of time. If we look at the record of my visits to Uzbekistan, the most intensive period has been over the past four to five years. During this period, I have visited Uzbekistan seven times, while Shavkat Miromonovich has visited Azerbaijan even more frequently over the same period.

This is just statistics, but behind these figures lie, first and foremost, our common roots, the closeness of our peoples, cultures, languages and traditions, our sincere feelings toward one another, and the centuries-old friendship between the Uzbek and Azerbaijani peoples. This is the foundation. And, of course, what matters is how we build on this foundation of our brotherhood, what projects we implement, and how we participate in various joint initiatives aimed at strengthening our cooperation and developing our countries.

Of course, having received this prestigious award, I would like to highlight the special role played by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, in strengthening our bilateral relations, his sincere attitude toward our people, and his assistance in the restoration of Garabagh. I spoke about this earlier today, and everyone in Azerbaijan knows that the first head of state and the first country in the world to provide us with assistance in the restoration of Garabagh were President Mirziyoyev and Uzbekistan.

And, of course, every time I visit Uzbekistan, I have the opportunity to visit different places and see how Tashkent is becoming more beautiful, how its buildings, streets and infrastructure are being transformed, and how everything is being done with such attention to detail, care and quality. And, of course, the New Tashkent project of my dear brother is a remarkable achievement in modern urban development and a reflection of his vision for the future of the capital of Uzbekistan.

Of course, it is also a symbol of Uzbekistan's development and strength. Not every country can afford to build cities from scratch. The transformation of Samarkand is another example. I remember it well from my first visit, and I saw the changes again when we visited relatively recently. I also remember the wonderful impression Khiva made on me during my previous trip. It is remarkable how so carefully and thoughtfully the preservation of historical monuments and respect for historical architecture are combined with urban development and modernization. All of this is the result of Shavkat Miromonovich's purposeful efforts to strengthen Uzbekistan, increase its potential, and promote the growth of its economy and industry.

Today, we spoke extensively about joint projects in agriculture, industry, mining and energy. But this would have been impossible without the potential our countries have developed. Without this foundation, we could not be thinking about joint projects; we would only be thinking about how to improve things within our own countries. Today, however, we are focused on joint efforts and investment, and these investments will amount to billions of dollars. These are no longer plans; they are already concrete projects, signed contracts and specific investment initiatives. And, of course, as a friend and brother, I would like to congratulate esteemed Shavkat Miromonovich on his many achievements. We sincerely rejoice in them. And in recognition of his outstanding contribution to strengthening our bilateral relations founded on brotherhood and alliance, I have signed a decree awarding Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev Azerbaijan's highest state order—the Heydar Aliyev Order.

President Ilham Aliyev presented the Heydar Aliyev Order to the President of Uzbekistan.