President Ilham Aliyev attended limited-format meeting of CIS Council of Heads of State VIDEO
Turkmenbashi, October 9, AZERTAC
A limited-format meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State was held on October 9 in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev addressed the meeting.
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev
- Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich,
Dear colleagues,
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the esteemed President of Turkmenistan for his traditional hospitality.
I wish esteemed Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev great success during Uzbekistan’s chairmanship of the CIS in 2027.
Every visit to Turkmenistan leaves a profound impression. One can see how dynamically the country is developing, and the achievements of brotherly Turkmenistan are a source of sincere joy for us. Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are based on centuries-old bonds of friendship and brotherhood and are strategic in nature.
We note with satisfaction the frequency of high-level contacts between our countries.
In August 2025, I visited Turkmenistan; last year, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Myalikgulyevich Berdimuhamedov, visited Azerbaijan twice; and in June of this year, the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Gurbangulyevich Berdimuhamedov, paid a state visit to our country. These contacts have given fresh impetus to our bilateral relations and created new opportunities for expanding cooperation in various fields.
This year, the Commonwealth of Independent States marks its thirty-fifth anniversary. Over the past years, the CIS has established itself as an important platform for maintaining political dialogue, developing mutually beneficial cooperation, and strengthening ties among our countries.
Humanitarian cooperation is one of the key areas of our interaction. I would like to express my gratitude to the CIS heads of state for supporting the decision to designate the city of Lachin as the Cultural Capital of the Commonwealth. The large-scale events held in Lachin last year provided our guests with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the rich and ancient history of this region. They were also able to witness firsthand the region’s rapid revival and the scale of the ongoing restoration work.
The successful hosting of the Third CIS Games in Azerbaijan was a landmark sporting event for the entire Commonwealth. The competitions were held in seven cities across our country. Thousands of athletes and guests from CIS member states, as well as from other countries around the world, had the opportunity to become better acquainted with our country and its people during their 11-day stay in Azerbaijan. Such large-scale initiatives go far beyond sports. They serve as bridges of friendship between peoples.
Thanks to its advantageous geographical location, our country has developed modern transport and logistics infrastructure virtually from scratch. Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its position as one of the region’s key transport hubs, providing reliable transit connections along the North-South and East-West international transport corridors.
In the first half of 2026, transit cargo volumes through Azerbaijan increased by 10 percent to nearly 8 million tons. Our medium-term objective is to increase cargo volumes along each of the East-West and North-South corridors through Azerbaijan to 15 million tons.
Dear colleagues,
I would like to express my gratitude for your support for the decision regarding Azerbaijan’s co-chairmanship of the CIS in 2027. We regard this as a reflection of the high level of trust placed in our country and are ready to take an active part in carrying out our common tasks. Azerbaijan is also ready to assume the chairmanship of the CIS in 2028 and host the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State in the autumn of that year.
Thank you for your attention.
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