BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1. The Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan took place on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in the Kyrgyz city of Cholpon-Ata on July 31. For Baku, the summit marked a milestone: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in the meeting for the first time as a full-fledged member of the format rather than as an honorary guest. The decision to admit Azerbaijan was taken by the region's leaders at last year's meeting in Uzbekistan, and the six-party mechanism has now become fully operational.

President Ilham Aliyev himself cited figures illustrating why Azerbaijan's accession is a logical development rather than a symbolic gesture. Since the beginning of 2023, over the past three and a half years, he has visited Central Asian countries 16 times, while leaders from the region have made 26 visits to Azerbaijan. "These figures speak louder than any words about the closeness of our relations and demonstrate that Central Asia and Azerbaijan have effectively become a single geopolitical and geoeconomic space," President Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the summit.

On the eve of the meeting, Baku and Bishkek signed a Treaty on Allied Relations, elevating bilateral ties to their highest level, alongside a package of agreements covering energy, transport, cybersecurity, and statistics. The authorized capital of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund was doubled from $100 million to $200 million. "I would also like to note that I am glad to see how successfully trade and economic relations are developing between our two brotherly countries. Today, one of the documents we signed provides for an increase in the capital of the joint Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan Development Fund from $100 million to $200 million. We were provided with information on the progress achieved and on the projects that have already been implemented through financing from the joint fund. Several enterprises are already operational, and the potential, of course, is quite significant," President Ilham Aliyev said.

The fund's co-chairman, Zamirbek Osmonov, said it has already approved 11 projects, created around 1,000 jobs, and is currently reviewing about 30 more initiatives spanning energy, logistics, light industry, and agricultural processing.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyz Energy Minister Altynbek Rysbekov said the mechanism for oil and petroleum product supplies between the two countries would be finalized within a week. "Today's memorandum will give us the opportunity to build a good, close partnership. This concerns cooperation in the supply of petroleum products. We already have preliminary agreements. Now we need to work out the implementation mechanisms: how supplies will be carried out and what path we'll take next," he said.

Against this backdrop, the leaders of the Central Asian countries outlined the role they see Azerbaijan playing in the region's future development.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described Azerbaijan's accession as a new stage in the evolution of the consultative format. "Central Asia is experiencing the most successful period in its modern history. Azerbaijan's accession as a full participant in the consultative meetings marked a new stage in the positive evolution of our format. Thanks to our joint efforts, conditions are being created for further deepening political dialogue, expanding cooperation in investment, energy, and industry, and establishing a unified transport and logistics system," he said. According to Tokayev, the region is steadily increasing intraregional trade and investment, and Azerbaijan's participation further strengthens this momentum.

For Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Azerbaijan's participation opens the way to creating a unified development space linking Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Afghanistan. "We are facing a historic opportunity to create a unified development space uniting Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and our close neighbor, Afghanistan. We must fully utilize this momentum and, through joint efforts, lay a solid foundation for sustainable development, connectivity, and good-neighborliness in the heart of Eurasia," he said.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon linked Azerbaijan's role to regional energy security, an issue he said has become increasingly pressing amid tensions in global energy markets. He proposed jointly exploring the construction of a large, technologically advanced oil refinery in the region. "It is well known that the tense situation currently unfolding in regional and global energy markets directly affects our interests. In this regard, I would like to expand on the issue of energy security, one of the key factors for sustainable development. I have previously addressed this issue at our previous meetings. Let us all, taking into account the current situation, seriously consider this pressing issue. Specifically, I propose instructing our relevant agencies to consider the construction of a large oil refinery in the region using the latest technologies," Rahmon said.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov highlighted transport connectivity and tourism, noting that the Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan are jointly implementing railway, road, and multimodal infrastructure projects, including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. He also proposed introducing a single tourist visa for foreign visitors wishing to travel across Central Asia. "Cultural affinity, shared history, and traditional ties between our peoples remain the solid foundation of our relations. Cooperation in tourism has great potential. Central Asia and Azerbaijan have a unique heritage to offer the world: ancient cities, Silk Road monuments, mountain and lake landscapes, national traditions, and cultural diversity," he stated.

Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov confirmed that the eighth Consultative Meeting will be held in the Turkmen resort city of Avaza on October 8, 2026. "I am convinced that the new six-party mechanism of interstate cooperation will contribute to an even greater rapprochement of our peoples and countries, strengthening of brotherly ties, as well as will give additional impetus and open up prospects for cooperation using the increased joint potential," he added.

Taken together, the statements made in Cholpon-Ata point to a clear conclusion: Azerbaijan is increasingly viewed as a key driver of regional cooperation. Kazakhstan sees Baku's participation as enhancing the region's international standing; Uzbekistan views it as an essential link in building a common development space; Tajikistan regards Azerbaijan as an important partner in strengthening energy security; Kyrgyzstan sees it as a pivotal partner in advancing regional transport connectivity and joint infrastructure projects; and Turkmenistan considers Azerbaijan an important participant in the new six-party mechanism capable of injecting fresh momentum into regional integration.

Collectively, these positions underscore that the Central Asian states increasingly regard Azerbaijan as an integral part of the emerging regional architecture for cooperation.