Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan 'natural partners' on key East-West routes: Aliyev

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are "natural" partners along strategic routes connecting East and West because of their locations in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Friday.

In an interview with Uzbekistan's national news agency UzA, a transcript of which was published by Azerbaijan's presidency, Aliyev said cooperation between Baku and Tashkent holds "great promise," particularly in the transport and logistics sphere.

"Azerbaijan's location in the South Caucasus and Uzbekistan's in Central Asia makes our countries natural partners along important strategic routes connecting East and West," Aliyev said.

Aliyev said the integration of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project with the Middle Corridor and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) will create "new economic and transit opportunities for the entire region."

He noted the importance of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). "Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan view the OTS not only as a platform for interstate cooperation, but also as an important association that carries our shared history, culture and spiritual values into the future," Aliyev said.

He added that both countries' contribution to the development of political dialogue, economic cooperation, transport and logistics connectivity, and cooperation in fields such as education and humanitarian affairs within the OTS "further contributes to the deepening of integration among the Turkic states."

The Azerbaijani president also touched upon his country's relations with Central Asian countries, noting they have been developing rapidly in recent years and that factors such as historical and cultural proximity provide a solid foundation for these ties.

"Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to expanding political dialogue, deepening economic ties, expanding transport and communications connectivity, as well as developing cooperation in the energy and humanitarian spheres with the countries of Central Asia," Aliyev expressed.

He said Azerbaijan's full-fledged participation in the C6 consultative format "demonstrates the strategic importance our country attaches to its relations with Central Asia."

The C6 is a consultative platform between the five Central Asian nations -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan -- which convened for the first time in 2018.

Azerbaijan formally joined the consultative format at its 7th summit held in the Uzbek capital Tashkent last November.