BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 9. Kyrgyz President
Sadyr Japarov took part in the eighth Consultative Meeting of the
Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan on October 8. The
meeting was held at the Awaza complex in Turkmenistan. The summit
was also attended by the presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.
Sadyr Japarov’s speech at the meeting shows that Bishkek sees
cooperation with Azerbaijan not only as a political partnership,
but also as an opportunity to expand practical ties in trade,
industry, transport, the digital economy and tourism. Several of
the initiatives are directly linked to strengthening economic ties
between Central Asia, and the South Caucasus.
One of the key proposals from the Kyrgyz side was the creation
of a unified electronic trading platform for Central Asia and
Azerbaijan.
“In this regard, we propose creating a unified electronic
trading platform for Central Asia and Azerbaijan. This would
provide consumers and businesses with broader access to goods
produced in the countries of the region,” Sadyr Japarov said.
According to him, the development of e-commerce should go hand
in hand with stronger industrial cooperation. Kyrgyzstan proposes
that the governments of the countries in the region identify
specific mutually beneficial projects in agricultural processing,
light industry, construction materials and logistics, including the
participants, sources of financing and implementation
timelines.
Such an approach could create a basis for moving from growing
mutual trade to more sustainable industrial cooperation. If such
projects are implemented, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan could have
additional opportunities to promote each other’s products, while
Central Asian companies could use Azerbaijani infrastructure to
access the South Caucasus and other international markets.
Transport remains one of the most important elements of the
emerging regional connection. Sadyr Japarov proposed that the
transport authorities of the countries, together with carriers,
develop practical solutions for unified freight tariffs,
coordinated schedules, shorter waiting times and digital cargo
tracking.
“Our focus should be on measurable results: reducing delivery
costs and travel time. At the same time, every country should have
the opportunity to fully participate in regional transport projects
and receive economic benefits from them,” the Kyrgyz president
said.
In this context, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project
is particularly important. Its further integration with routes
through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan could create
an additional land-sea connection between China, the countries of
the region and South Caucasus markets. For Kyrgyzstan, this could
provide more options for reaching foreign markets, while for
Azerbaijan it could strengthen its role as a transport link between
Central Asia and wider international routes.
Trade figures also show that economic ties between the two
countries already have a basis for further growth. In 2025, trade
turnover between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan amounted to $77.17
million, increasing about 1.9 times compared with 2024.
Azerbaijan’s imports from Kyrgyzstan reached $53.75 million, while
Azerbaijan’s exports to Kyrgyzstan amounted to $23.42 million.
In January-July 2026, the situation changed. Azerbaijan’s
exports to Kyrgyzstan reached $30.03 million, exceeding the
full-year 2025 figure by 28.2 percent, while imports from
Kyrgyzstan amounted to $4.03 million. As a result, Azerbaijan’s
trade surplus with Kyrgyzstan reached about $26 million during the
period. This trend creates room for further growth in mutual
supplies and a wider range of goods.
The Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund is another important
basis for investment cooperation. In July 2026, its capital was
increased from $100 million to $200 million. At the same time,
three joint projects were opened and eight more initiatives were
launched, creating a financial basis for moving toward larger
industrial projects.
Tourism is another important area of bilateral relations. In
July, the Azerbaijani-built five-star Baku Resort & Spa was opened
in the village of Kara-Oy on Lake Issyk-Kul. The project covers
more than 17 hectares and includes 111 rooms and 10 cottages. It
can accommodate 330 guests and is expected to create 255 jobs at
the initial stage. Projects like this not only develop tourism
infrastructure but also create additional opportunities for
people-to-people and business ties.
Against this background, cooperation between Azerbaijan and
Kyrgyzstan is gradually moving beyond individual projects. The
political foundation of relations is also becoming stronger. The
two countries have previously signed a Treaty on Allied Relations.
Kyrgyz Ambassador to Azerbaijan Maksat Mamytkanov said earlier that
following Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to
Kyrgyzstan, relations had reached a higher level of interstate
cooperation and that ties were expected to become more active in
all areas.
Further cooperation could develop in several directions. One
could be an increase in mutual trade through a wider range of goods
and new industrial projects. Another could involve the gradual
creation of a common digital and logistics environment, including
e-commerce, digital documents, cargo tracking and coordinated
tariffs.
Another possible scenario is closer integration of Kyrgyzstan’s
transport projects with routes through the Caspian Sea and
Azerbaijan. In this case, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway
could become part of a wider regional transport system connecting
Central Asia with Azerbaijan and international markets.
Investment and tourism could also support further cooperation.
The increased capital of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund
could provide financing for new projects, while joint promotion of
tourism routes could strengthen contacts between the people of the
two countries. Environmental cooperation also remains a possible
area, including the sustainable use of natural resources and the
protection of glaciers and mountain ecosystems.
