Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Relations between the Uzbek and Azerbaijani peoples, distinguished by their special warmth and closeness, drawing energy from common historical and cultural components, identical ethnic and linguistic roots, a single religion and traditions, are rooted deep into the centuries.

Back in the V-IV millennium BC. in the development of the peoples of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, there was a similarity and parallelism, reflected in the socio-economic life.

The 9th-7th centuries BC can be considered the beginning of direct historical ties between the Uzbek and Azerbaijani peoples. At this time, the Cimmerian-Scythian-Sak tribes, moving from Altai, partially settled on the territory of present-day Uzbekistan, then, continuing their movement, penetrated the territory of present-day Azerbaijan.

At one time, the territories of both states were united by the Achaemenid Empire and the state of Alexander the Great.

The Great Silk Road also made an invaluable contribution to the cultural, trade and economic exchange between the two peoples.

During the rise of the Turkic Khaganate, Turkic tribes began to penetrate into Central Asia and the Caucasus, which contributed to the first wave of Turkization of the two regions.

By the middle of the 7th century, the Arabs annexed the territory of present-day Azerbaijan, and by the beginning of the 8th century, the territory of present-day Uzbekistan. The Arab invasion contributed to the spread of Islam, and also played a certain positive role in the development of productive forces: the growth of cities; expanding the scale of trade (including caravan) and handicraft production; strengthening the exchange between the urban and rural populations, between farmers and nomads.

In the 11th-12th centuries, the peoples of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan were united into a single state of the Oghuz-Seljuks. The Seljuk campaigns of conquest made a significant contribution to changing the demographic picture of the conquered countries, which contributed to their complete Turkization.

Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations continued to develop during the rise of the Khorezmshahs-Anushteginids. It is worth noting that by the middle of the 12th century the state of the Anushteginids (1077–1220) was linked by strategic relations with the state of the Shirvanshahs (861–1538). Khorezmshahs relied on Shirvan, considering it as their military ally. Despite the fact that there was a sea between the states, this did not prevent them from establishing trade, political, military and cultural ties.

The relationship between the two peoples continued in the XIV century. So, Amir Temur (1336-1405) supported Shirvanshah Ibrahim I (1382-1417) in the fight against the Khan of the Golden Horde Tokhtamysh, helped to strengthen the constructions of Derbent. In turn, Ibrahim I took part in Temur’s campaign against Tokhtamysh in 1395, in the battle on the Terek River, and also in the campaign against the Ottoman Empire in 1402.

Bilateral interaction has been developed in subsequent eras. This was especially clearly manifested in the relationship between Temurid - Shahrukh (1377-1447) and the son of the Shirvanshah Ibrahim I - Khalilullah (1417-1465). This relationship developed into a family union. Khalilullah married the daughter of Mirza Abu Bakr, the son of Miranshah and the grandson of Temur.

Brotherly relations between the Safavids and Baburids also contributed to the strengthening of Uzbek-Azerbaijani ties. The founder of the new Azerbaijani state of the Safavids, Shah Ismail I (1501-1524), took the side of Babur in the confrontation between the latter and Sheibanikhan (1451-1510). The confrontation ended with the death of Muhammad Sheibani in 1510 and the occupation of the Samarkand throne by Babur. However, the rebelliousness of the population of Samarkand prompted Babur to leave his homeland forever and go to Afghanistan, and then to Northern India, where he founded the Baburid state (1526-1857).

Relations between the Safavids and the Baburids remained friendly in subsequent years. So, during the rebellion of Sher Khan (the former commander of Babur), who led the Afghan troops in 1544 against the son of Babur Humayun (1508-1556), the heir of Shah Ismail Tahmasb I (1524-1576) gave the latter a 12,000-strong army to help him, with the help of which Humayun defeated the enemies and regained his throne.

More than five hundred years ago, Alisher Navoi, expressing his deepest love for Nizami Ganjavi and considering him his teacher, called the brilliant Azerbaijani poet and thinker the king of poets and compared him to a priceless pearl. It is noteworthy that Nizami’s "Khamsa" turned out to be a fruitful genre unit for the literature of the countries of Central Asia and gave rise to a creative competition of word artists not only of their era, but also of subsequent generations. In turn, the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Muhammad Fizuli, whose immortal ghazals are sung by dozens of maqoms, which have become the spiritual heritage of the Uzbek people, was deeply inspired by the work of the great Navoi.

The close relationship between the Uzbek and Azerbaijani peoples continued to grow during the Soviet era. Baku was considered by Moscow as an educational, scientific and cultural center not only of the Caucasus, but also of all the Turkic peoples that were part of the USSR. As a result, Baku became a forge of personnel for the Turkic peoples of the Union, especially for people from Central Asia. So, the graduates of Baku educational institutions in different years were: academician Vakhid Zahidov, Gairati, Alim Khodzhaev, Hamid Khakimov, Yusif Latifov, Khojimurat Abdulla, Khady Zarifov, Shukhrat, Sabir Rakhimov, Halima Nasyrova, Saifi Alimov, Nazira Aliyeva, Zuhur Kabulov, Sagdulla Jurabaev, Halima Khodzhaeva, Bobo Khodzhaev, Karim Yakubov.

The merit of Azerbaijani teachers is also great in the emergence of the Uzbek professional theater, and the works of the classics of Azerbaijani literature did not leave the stages of the Uzbek theater for a long time, entering the "golden fund" of national art.

The personal friendly relations between Sharaf Rashidov and Heydar Aliyev also played an important role in strengthening Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations, thanks to which the bonds of brotherhood rose to a qualitatively new level and were reflected in the organization of all kinds of bilateral cultural and socio-economic events of that era.

Bilateral cooperation found its logical continuation in the period of independent development of states, when Heydar Aliyev and Islam Karimov took steps to consolidate a fruitful dialogue, the crown of which was the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan on 2 October 1995.

In order to intensify interstate dialogue and lay the legal foundations for cooperation, the embassies of the two countries were opened. The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Uzbekistan was opened in June 1997, during the official visit of Heydar Aliyev, and in July 1998 the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan was opened in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Since then, there has been a natural desire between states to lay the legal, economic and cultural foundation for bilateral contacts and relations.

However, the relationship between Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev raised Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations to an unprecedented level, created a platform for truly constructive relations, covering a wide range and all the versatility of bilateral cooperation.

A significant event in the history of Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations was the visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Baku on 14-15 October 2019 in order to participate in the seventh summit of the Organization of Turkic States.

In the format of a bilateral meeting, the parties discussed topical issues of expanding mutually beneficial cooperation and identified priority tasks for the future. Particular attention was paid to establishing business contacts at the level of leading companies and entrepreneurs of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as well as developing cooperation in industry, agriculture, transport and other key industries.

An agreement was reached to intensify the activities of the joint intergovernmental commission and organize mutual visits of delegations from the regions of the two countries.

At the end of the meeting, the leaders of the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations of centuries-old friendship and strategic partnership.

A new milestone in bilateral relations was rightfully opened by the state visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the Republic of Uzbekistan, which took place on 21-22 June 2022.

The visit began with the opening of a renovated street named after Heydar Aliyev, a square and a memorial bas-relief in Tashkent. The ceremony was attended by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

In a narrow format, the Heads of States exchanged views on the further expansion of the Uzbek-Azerbaijani multifaceted strategic partnership.

The achieved joint projects, reflecting the economic issues of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, were also noted, in particular: Agreement on the establishment of a joint Investment Fund in order to develop and promote promising cooperation projects in our countries; implementation of joint projects in free economic zones located on the territory of the two countries for the export of products to the markets of third countries.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway remains an effective mechanism in the implementation of these joint projects, and agreements were also reached to increase the efficiency of this railway. The result of the measures taken is a specially created working group under the leadership of the ministers of transport, which contributes to the timely removal of obstacles to bilateral trade and transit of goods.

Another promising area of bilateral cooperation is agriculture. Pointing to the opportunities available here, the relevant ministers were instructed to agree on a roadmap for creating a silk production cluster, promoting projects in the field of cotton growing, and introducing innovative developments.

It was emphasized that direct interregional ties play an important role in expanding multifaceted cooperation. The parties agreed that in the near future the capitals and major cities of the two countries will establish partnerships. Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed to hold the first Forum of Regions and an exhibition of their industrial potential in Tashkent in February this year.

It was noted that the expansion of cooperation in the field of tourism will also serve to further strengthen business and humanitarian ties. The presidents supported the adoption of a separate program and the holding of a joint tourism fair.

The main and fundamental document signed as a result of negotiations between Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev was the Declaration on deepening the strategic partnership and building up comprehensive cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The document is comprehensive and covers about 40 areas of interaction between the two states, providing for the expansion of trade and economic cooperation, industrial cooperation, and the effective use of transport and transit potential.

Also, in the presence of the heads of state, 18 documents were signed between the governments, ministries and departments of the two countries, covering a wide range of interaction: from industrial cooperation to military-technical cooperation. Undoubtedly, the signed agreements contribute to bringing the state of mutual trade to the level of 1 billion dollars over the next five years.

It is deeply symbolic that on 1-2 March 2023, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Baku, at the invitation of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, to participate in the summit of the Contact Group of the Non-Aligned Movement.

In his speech, the President of Uzbekistan stressed that: “In recent years, humanity, in addition to fighting the pandemic, is also facing the disastrous consequences of climate change, natural disasters and man-made disasters. Their scale is growing and poses a serious threat to the security and sustainable development of not only individual states, but entire regions.”

In this regard, the head of our state expressed the idea of creating an international structure in Uzbekistan for the study and monitoring of natural disasters.

Thus, Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations have been at a fairly high level almost from the very first days of achieving state independence by the republics. In subsequent years, the leaderships of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan supplemented and expanded this interaction in every possible way, filling it with the spirit of brotherhood and friendship.

Thanks to the wise and far-sighted policy of Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ilham Aliyev, Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations have reached a qualitatively new level, affecting a wide range of multifaceted cooperation.

Azer Adigozalov, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Historical Sciences, Chief Research Fellow at the International Institute of Central Asia