Central Asia Watch Team : Aliya Yechshanova, Sophie Marc et Denis Lavaud
21/06/2022: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in Uzbekistan for a state visit – Sophie Marc –
The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in Uzbekistan for a state visit at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Tuesday 21 June 2022. The purpose of the visit is to discuss and deepen the partnership between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, including strategic cooperation between the two countries. The Azerbaijani president was welcomed by Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and other officials before attending a ceremony in the presence of the president.
Prior to and on the sidelines of the visit, numerous bilateral cooperation agreements in the fields of industry, agriculture, transport, energy, science, innovation and tourism were discussed and signed between the two countries’ respective ministers. In particular, on 20 June, a business forum was held in Tashkent during which a number of agreements on the implementation of joint projects, commercial contracts worth more than $500 million, as well as 10 agreements on practical cooperation between ministries and agencies of the two countries were signed.
The volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan was about $111.9 million in 2021. Currently, about 195 Azerbaijani companies are represented in Uzbekistan, 69 of which have joint capital and 126 have 100% Azerbaijani capital.
06/21/2022: The head of CNPC announces the corporation’s interest in expanding partnership with Turkmenistan – Aliya Yechshanova –
Head of the international energy company China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Hou Qi jun was received by the leader of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov on June 20. They outlined the vectors of further cooperation, as well as assessed the results of a long-term partnership.
The President of the corporation announced the interest of CNPC to take an active part in the implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects in the country. According to him, Chinese businessmen want to expand their presence in the market of the Central Asian state, which, in their opinion, is promising. It was noted that cooperation in this priority area also has favorable prospects in the context of inherently related initiatives of the two countries – the “One Belt, One Road” concept promoted by China and the strategy implemented by Turkmenistan for the revival of the Great Silk Road. A concrete example of successful bilateral cooperation is the participation of CNPC in the industrial development of hydrocarbon deposits in the contractual territory of “Bagtyıarlyk” and the construction of one of the world’s largest gas storerooms – “Galkynyş”. As a result of this cooperation, Turkmen natural gas is transported to China via the Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan–China gas pipeline. At the same time, it was pointed out the importance of the agreements reached at the highest level concerning the development of the second stage of the Galkynyş field and the laying of the fourth branch of the Turkmenistan–China transnational gas pipeline.
It should be recalled that on June 18, Serdar Berdimuhamedov took part in the opening ceremony of the new Gadyn gas collection station in the Farab etrap of the Lebap Velayat of Turkmenistan. The corresponding field is being developed in partnership with CNPC.
06/23/2022: Turkmenistan sends humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after the earthquake that occured in the south of the country -Denis Lavaud –
Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov said on June 23 that he was sending a humanitarian aid convoy to Afghanistan to help victims of the June 22 earthquake that occured in Khost and Paktika province, in the southeast of the country, at the border with Pakistan.
The earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, killed at least 1,000 people and injured at least 1,500.
“The Turkmen Foreign Minister stressed that Turkmenistan received the news of the devastating earthquake in the Afghan provinces of Khost and Paktika with deep sadness and expressed its sincere condolences and feelings of empathy to the people of this country” said the spokesperson for the aforementioned ministry.
