TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, October 8. Transport is one of the primary areas of cooperation between Central Asia and Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said as he addressed the 8th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Central Asia in Turkmenbashi, Trend's special correspondent reports.
“The Caspian Sea plays an increasingly vital role today in the transport interaction of our countries. The transport infrastructure on both shores of the Caspian is of key importance for connecting Central Asia with Azerbaijan and further onward to international markets,” the head of state emphasized.
The President noted that significant growth in cargo transit volumes across the Caspian is currently being observed. “Our common task is to make these routes more efficient and competitive,” the Azerbaijani leader added.
The 8th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries was held on October 8, 2026, at the Awaza National Tourism Zone in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan. It was the first full-fledged meeting in the renewed format following the decision to grant Azerbaijan full participation, adopted at the summit in Tashkent in November 2025.
The meeting addressed regional security, political and diplomatic cooperation, trade and economic ties, energy, transport and logistics corridors, environmental issues and humanitarian cooperation.
The summit resulted in the signing of the Joint Statement of the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries, as well as the Decision on the regulatory documents of the format.
