Astana, April 10, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has held a meeting with President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in a limited format in Astana.

Addressing the meeting, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said:

- As we say, “kosh keldiniz”.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: We are glad to be welcoming you on a visit, an official visit. I would like to thank you for accepting my invitation. Last August, I paid a visit to Baku. It was absolutely productive and gave a serious impetus to the development of bilateral relations. Now there is a need to touch base with each other, check the work that is being carried out by the governments of the two countries in pursuance of the instructions of the presidents.

I would like to note that Azerbaijan is a fraternal state for Kazakhstan, a very close state. From our side, everything possible is being done to develop comprehensive cooperation in the trade, economic and investment fields and, of course, to facilitate interaction in the political arena - be it a bilateral format or international organizations. A lot has been done. I think we will talk about this in an expanded format. Moreover, we will listen to the reports of relevant ministers, who should report on the work done, and outline plans for the further development of cooperation.

We have made preparations for your visit. You have probably heard that the TV and radio corporation “Kazakhstan” has prepared a special documentary dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of outstanding statesman Heydar Aliyev on my instructions. Tonight, it will be shown in the Kazakh and Russian languages. I would like to present the film to you today. I hope there is also an opportunity to show it to Baku, to Azerbaijani TV viewers, and, in general, to the Azerbaijani public.

A stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev has been issued. So we remember the tremendous historic role he played in establishing and developing cooperation between our countries. Today we will open the street together. It is a good street. By the way, it is located in a prestigious district of the capital. This is an important but, at the same time, a secondary part of your visit, so to speak.

Of course, we are focused on very serious work to develop economic cooperation, cooperation with Azerbaijan, which plays a leading role in the Caucasus region. There are no problems between us. There is only a desire to move forward in this direction. Thank you.

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President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich, first of all, thank you for the invitation and for the hospitality.

I would like to immediately express gratitude on my own behalf and on behalf of the entire Azerbaijani people for your respect for the memory of Heydar Aliyev. You noted what is being done on your instructions in Kazakhstan in order to express your attitude towards the memory of Heydar Aliyev and the Azerbaijani people. I am grateful to you for the fact that one of the central streets of the capital will be named after Heydar Aliyev, and also for the film. In general, we have always felt the good attitude of the entire people of Kazakhstan towards our country, and, for sure, you also felt it during your official visit to Azerbaijan. The fact that we meet so often during official visits speaks both of the nature of our relations and of the fact that there is a need to be in contact. Because our meetings are of regular nature at various international venues, but the bilateral format is the most effective.

Less than a year has passed since your visit, but there is already a need to go over the agenda in terms of monitoring the implementation of our instructions and taking new steps to strengthen our interaction. As you noted, our countries have sincere and brotherly feelings for each other. This is a good basis for developing bilateral cooperation. As for the areas of cooperation, it will probably take a lot more time just to list them, because they practically cover all spheres of our life. Of course, in the current conditions, trade, economic, investment projects, projects related to transport and logistical infrastructure are naturally a priority. It is no coincidence that I have a very extensive delegation here with me, a lot of ministers and heads of state agencies are here as well. I am sure that within the framework of our visit to the fraternal land of Kazakhstan, members of the delegation will also actively interact, we will achieve good results and define another milestone as a result. So thank you again for your hospitality.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: I would like to add that last year alone, the volume of trade between our countries, according to Kazakhstani statistics, increased by 40 percent, exceeding half a billion dollars.

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During the meeting, the sides described a 40 percent increase in trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as a positive step. The heads of state underlined that there are possibilities for increasing the trade turnover between the two countries to a billion dollars.

At the same time, they also discussed export of Kazakhstan’s crude oil through the territory of Azerbaijan, further increase of transport and logistic capabilities as well as joint investment projects, and noted there is rapid development in laying of fiber-optic cables under the Caspian Sea. The parties hailed bilateral political dialogue and successful cooperation within international organizations between the two nations.

During the conversation, they also exchanged views on the regional issues.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the steps taken by Azerbaijan towards ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus region and signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani leader also briefed his Kazakh counterpart on the country's efforts to further expand transport opportunities, including increasing the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and Port of Baku.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev provided information about the increase of Kazakhstan`s transport capabilities.

During the conversation, the importance of synchronizing the transport infrastructure of the two countries and ensuring freer and faster passage of goods was stressed.