Tokyo, 23 August, /AJMEDIA/
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev described the fact that Shavkat Mirziyoyev was paying his first state visit to Azerbaijan after being elected President of Uzbekistan as a sign of brotherhood and friendship, the head of state said in a press statement following talks with his Uzbek counterpart, AJMEDIA reports.
Statement by President Ilham Aliyev
– Dear Shavkat Miromonovich, dear guests, dear friends!
Once again, Shavkat Miromonovich, I sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan. You are welcome! We highly appreciate the fact that you are paying your first state visit to Azerbaijan after being elected President of Uzbekistan. We do appreciate that. This is a sign of our brotherhood, our friendship, and your attitude towards our country and our people. The fraternal people of Uzbekistan have again placed great confidence in you, have once again recognized your efforts for the development of Uzbekistan. Under your leadership, the fraternal country is successfully moving along the path of creation. I have had the opportunity to repeatedly see for myself the great transformations that are under way in Uzbekistan under your leadership, and they serve the development of your country, the strengthening of its potential and defense capability, as well as the enhancement of its authority in international affairs.
Last year, I visited Uzbekistan three times on a state visit and as part of international events. I visited Tashkent, Samarkand and Khiva, and saw again with my own eyes the transformations and results of the reforms you are implementing. Therefore, your victory in the elections was completely natural, and the fraternal people of Uzbekistan have made the only right choice.
The fact that you are paying your first state visit to Azerbaijan after the election is also a great honor for us. You are showing us great respect.
We have discussed a wide range of issues during our negotiations today. I can say one thing: our communication today took more than three hours. Both in our one-on-one meeting and during the meeting with the participation of members of delegations, all these successes in strengthening our interaction were analyzed in detail and ways of developing the future of our relations in all areas were discussed and determined – from joint activities on international platforms, our interaction within the framework of international organizations up until issues of energy, transport, economic interaction, the humanitarian sphere. In other words, within the framework of our meetings and negotiations, we have essentially determined the future development of our relations. The results that have already been achieved show that we are on the right track.
What was reported to us by members of the delegations as part of what we expect in the next two or three years I think indicates that we have raised the relations between our countries to the highest level. And it is no coincidence that one of the documents signed today is a document on the establishment of the Supreme Interstate Council. This is a high level of relations and an indicator of both fraternal relations between our countries and of the fact that the agenda is quite extensive.
Issues related to industrial cooperation have also been analyzed in great detail. Last month, a regular meeting of the intergovernmental commission was held in Shusha, which analyzed in detail the entire range of our interaction. Three are good prospects in the energy sector. Our energy companies closely cooperate with each other. In the transport and logistical sector, we are observing an increase in cargo traffic, and most importantly, an increase in the potential for cooperation in this direction. Today we discussed issues that will predetermine our successful cooperation in all areas for many years to come.
This month, the Days of Culture of Uzbekistan were held in Azerbaijan with great success, and once again, Azerbaijani viewers were further convinced of the high skill and talent of representatives of your fraternal people. We agreed that such events should be held regularly, because the basis of our interaction is precisely the huge cultural layer.
The fraternal relations between our peoples have a centuries-old history, and throughout the entire period of friendship and brotherhood, we have always been close to each other and supported each other.
Tomorrow we will participate in the opening of a school Shavkat Miromonovich has donated to Azerbaijan on his personal initiative. This is the first gift of a foreign state in the restoration of Karabakh, and we highly appreciate this gesture of brotherhood, solidarity and support – not to mention the fact that this school is actually a palace of education. In May, while visiting Fuzuli, I got acquainted with the construction and saw with my own eyes the scale of the fraternal gift from Uzbekistan. The school bears the name of the great son of the Uzbek people, Mirzo Ulugbek, and I am sure that it will not only be a center of education, but also a center of our friendship and brotherhood.
A few days ago, or to be exact, four days ago, first residents of the city of Fuzuli, former refugees, returned to their native lands, and in the near future, less than a month later, children will start going to the school which was donated by our brothers from Uzbekistan.
In other words, even what I am talking about now speaks volumes of the nature of our relations. To talk about all the areas of cooperation we discussed today, it will probably take at least three more hours. Therefore, I think that already in the process of communication, including the communication with the media, representatives of our countries will share their impressions both today and in the future. And also the general public of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will see the results of today’s negotiations in the practical implementation of projects both in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. And I am sure that the joint investment fund, which we created some time ago with an authorized capital of $500 million, will very quickly master this amount and we will even need to increase the capital. All this indicates again that we are on the right track, that everything the presidents have outlined is being carried out, and, as we agreed with Shavkat Miromonovich several years ago, we regularly monitor the implementation of all these instructions. This is one of the keys to success.
Once again, dear Shavkat Miromonovich, I would like to welcome you, thank you once again for accepting my invitation and visiting Azerbaijan. We met in Baku in March, at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit, and I am planning on visiting Uzbekistan before the end of the year. So, we will meet regularly and inform the public of our countries about new successes. Thank you.
