News - Will the Central Asia–Azerbaijan 'unified global reach' take place?

On November 14, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Uzbekistan on a state visit. At Tashkent's East Airport, he was personally greeted by Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Kazakhstan's Tengrinews reports that during the state visit there will be face-to-face talks between the two presidents, the meeting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation High Council, and it emphasizes that Tokayev is visiting Tashkent three days after signing a Strategic Partnership Declaration with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The same source also reports that on November 16 in Tashkent the 7th meeting of the Central Asia–Azerbaijan Advisory Council will be convened. According to Baku media, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will travel to Tashkent on Sunday and return on the same day. Whether all Central Asian countries will participate in the advisory discussions at the presidential level is not yet confirmed. It is noteworthy that the Central Asia–Azerbaijan Advisory Council meeting is convened exactly ten days after the Washington US–Central Asia summit. Ahead of the Washington summit, Azerbaijani press, citing sources in the Kazakh president's staff, wrote that Tokayev proposed inviting Donald Trump to also invite Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the Washington summit. Earlier, Ilham Aliyev proposed creating a 'unified regional framework' for Central Asia–Azerbaijan, but the format for institutionalizing trade and economic, communications, security, and civilizational integration seems not to be in place. Regarding the Tashkent discussions, Uzbek political scientist Karaev told Baku's minval-politika that if the sides reach a decision to create a permanent body to address harmonization of relations, that would mean Central Asia–Azerbaijan integration exists. The Azerbaijani press has not yet published expert opinions on the anticipated discussions; political views on the issue are also not known. An Uzbekistani political scientist views Azerbaijan as a 'natural bridge' between Central Asia and Europe and Turkey. If a 'key approach' to this notion is presented in Tashkent's discussions, how will Ilham Aliyev respond? In negotiations, delicate formulations may be used, but for Aliyev what matters is not ensuring transit between Central Asia–Europe or Central Asia–Turkey, but the integration of Central Asia and Azerbaijan as a geopolitical factor. And could such a bold decision be acceptable to Russia, China, and Iran, squeezed in between? And, most importantly, has Central Asia itself already unified? Noah’s Ark — What the press is writing. Read.