In an interview with local TV channels, published on the official presidential website, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that an important achievement in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy in 2025 was the country’s election as a full member of the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia.
“From a geographical point of view, of course, we are not in Central Asia, we are in the South Caucasus. However, we have such close relations with countries of Central Asia, both in bilateral and multilateral formats. So many projects have been implemented in recent years that these countries have unanimously elected us as a full member. We can also consider this a great political and diplomatic success. As president, I have been invited to summits as a guest of honor for two years in a row. But at the third summit held with my participation, we were already elected as a fully-fledged member. Of course, the Central Asian-Azerbaijani union and the transformation of C5 into C6 today are of great importance not only for our region, but also for the world. Because connectivity, transport and logistics are of tremendous importance for many leading international actors today, and Azerbaijan is the only reliable country that can geographically connect Central Asia with the West today,” said Aliyev.
According to Aliyev, the number of cargoes passing through Azerbaijan is increasing. For the first time, 100,000 containers have already passed through the country’s territory. “This is just the beginning, their number will increase many more times, and we are currently actively working to expand our transport infrastructure.”
Aliyev reminded that in November 2024, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement in Baku on the construction of an energy cable. “So there will also be these connections – the laying of a fiber-optic cable along the Caspian seabed and many other projects. Therefore, by officially admitting Azerbaijan into this group, Central Asian countries and their leaders have both shown us great respect and demonstrated their foresight, because this completely changes the geopolitical situation in the region,” the Azeri president emphasized.
China is currently funding the construction of another railway to the Caspian Sea via Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and freight traffic to the Caspian Sea, and therefore to Azerbaijan, will increase, said Aliyev, adding that Azerbaijan’s role as a transport hub will naturally grow.
