Baku, August 18, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan Bahrom Ashrafkhanov.

Bahrom Ashrafkhanov presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev.

The head of state then spoke with the ambassador.

President Ilham Aliyev hailed the level of bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries. Emphasizing the active political dialogue between the two countries, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan enjoys close cooperation with Uzbekistan within international organizations, as well as the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-Speaking States.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev described the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s participation in the Summit of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-Speaking States held in October, 2019 in Baku as a significant contribution to the development of cooperation between the two countries. President Ilham Aliyev noted that as part of this visit, fruitful discussions were held with the Uzbek head of state on cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, transport and logistics, agriculture, as well as cotton growing and other areas.

Noting that his visit to Uzbekistan was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, President Ilham Aliyev said that he would visit brotherly Uzbekistan as soon as the epidemiological situation allows.

President Ilham Aliyev commended Uzbekistan for its support as a member state in adopting relevant statements within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States regarding Armenia’s another aggression against Azerbaijan in the direction of Tovuz district of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border on July 12 this year.

The head of state noted that along with other areas, the cooperation between the two countries in the field of transport and logistics has yielded good results.

Noting that bilateral cooperation between the countries is based on brotherly relations between the two nations, President Ilham Aliyev underlined good prospects for the development of relations with Uzbekistan in all areas.

Ambassador Bahrom Ashrafkhanov extended Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s sincerest greetings and best wishes to President Ilham Aliyev. He noted that the Uzbek President’s participation in the Summit of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-Speaking States in Baku last October and the meetings held at the level of heads of state on the sidelines of the summit gave an important impetus to the development of bilateral relations.

Emphasizing that Azerbaijan has made great strides in all areas and is a role model for other countries under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the ambassador noted that Uzbekistan benefited from Azerbaijan’s advanced experience, and that the Agency for State Services was established on the example of “ASAN xidmət” in his country.

Hailing good relations between the two countries, the ambassador pointed out that Uzbekistan attaches great importance to the development of trade and economic relations with Azerbaijan, describing Azerbaijan as a strategic partner for Uzbekistan in this area in the CIS region. The ambassador also expressed Uzbekistan’s keenness to study Azerbaijan’s experience in the field of agriculture, including the hazelnut and pomegranate growing.

The ambassador expressed his hope that the quarantine measures related to the coronavirus pandemic would end soon and that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan would pay a visit to Uzbekistan. He expressed his confidence that this visit would give a new impetus to the expansion and deepening of bilateral cooperation. The ambassador noted that Uzbekistan attaches great importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan in the field of transport and logistics, as well as the transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan and Central Asia via the Caspian Sea and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.

Bahrom Ashrafkhanov pointed out that Uzbekistan has always supported the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

President Ilham Aliyev commended Uzbekistan for unequivocally supporting Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

The head of state thanked for Shavkat Mirziyoyev`s greetings and asked the ambassador to extend his greetings and best wishes to the Uzbek President.