BAKU, Azerbaijan - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev discussed expanding trade and advancing bilateral projects during talks in Baku on October 14.
The meeting took place ahead of a summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, or CICA. The Azerbaijani presidency confirmed the meeting, while Vesti Baku reported that the leaders reviewed implementation of agreements reached during Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan in August and discussed further development of their strategic partnership.
The presidents examined cooperation in energy, mutual investment, construction, transport and logistics, light industry, geology and tourism. They also discussed cultural and humanitarian exchanges and international and regional issues.
Trade and Investment Figures
Aliyev previously said bilateral trade more than tripled in 2025 to $795 million. Trade rose another 33% year over year in January-May 2026 to $144 million, while Tashkent has set a target of $1 billion in annual trade.
The joint Azerbaijani-Uzbek project portfolio exceeds $5 billion, according to the intergovernmental commission. No new agreements or additional investment amounts were announced at the October 14 meeting.
Mirziyoyev also congratulated Azerbaijan on its CICA chairmanship and on hosting the organization’s summit in Baku.