Azerbaijan’s Treaty on Eternal Friendship with Uzbekistan moved closer to ratification on Oct. 29 after a parliamentary committee recommended the draft ratification law for consideration by the full Milli Majlis.
The treaty has not yet been ratified. Final approval remains with parliament, according to Vesti Baku and Azerbaijani media reports on the committee meeting.
The Milli Majlis Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Ties reviewed the draft law approving the treaty and recommended that it be placed on the agenda of a plenary session.
The committee also backed plenary consideration of a separate intergovernmental agreement between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan on cooperation in pension provision. Public reports on the meeting did not give detailed rules for granting benefits or recognizing pension rights under that agreement.
What the Friendship Treaty Covers
Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the friendship treaty in Tashkent on Aug. 23 during Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan. The Azerbaijani presidency said the leaders signed the treaty along with a decision from the third meeting of the two countries’ Supreme Interstate Council.
The agreement places bilateral relations on the basis of mutual trust, strategic partnership and alliance. It says neither country will join blocs or alliances that could harm the other’s sovereignty, security or territorial integrity, or allow its territory to be used by a third country for such purposes.
The treaty also calls for cooperation in trade, investment, energy, transport and logistics, digital development, agriculture, e-commerce and space technologies. It includes provisions aimed at strengthening interconnected transport routes and increasing the transit potential of regional corridors, according to a published summary of the treaty.
If the Milli Majlis approves the draft law at a plenary session, the treaty will proceed through the remaining legal steps required to complete ratification.