Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan sign treaty on allied relations

By Efe Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his visiting Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev signed a treaty on allied relations in the capital Tashkent on Friday.

The signing came after the inaugural meeting of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan High Intergovernmental Council, with the attendance of Aliyev and Mirziyoyev alongside their respective ministers.

The primary focus of the meeting was to enhance strategic partnership and expand multifaceted cooperation with an emphasis on detailed road maps on industrial, infrastructural, and interregional development, said a statement by the Uzbek presidency.

During a press conference later, Mirziyoyev expressed great satisfaction with Aliyev's state visit, describing it as a "historic milestone" in the longstanding friendship between the two countries.

Meanwhile, several other key documents, including 13 additional documents, were signed during the ceremony by ministers and representatives to strengthen cooperation in economic, educational and cultural fields, according to an Azerbaijani presidency statement.

"Today, we have officially become allies. This is indeed, as I agree, a historic moment. The treaty on allied relations is the highest international document that two countries can sign," Aliyev told the press conference, according to state news agency Azertac.

"Today in Tashkent, we are truly writing not just a new chapter, but a whole new book in our relations," he added.

Aliyev arrived in Tashkent on a two-day visit on Thursday.