Azerbaijan–Kazakhstan relations
Encyclopedia
Azerbaijani–Kazakhstani relations (sometimes known as Azeri-Kazakh friendship; ) have traditionally been friendly due to cultural and historical factors. Thus, many Azeris and Kazakhs
, as well as the head of both states usually refer to it as Azeri-Kazakh brotherhood and consider the other nation an ally and a brother-nation.
Both Azerbaijan
and Kazakhstan
were part of Achaemenid Empire
, Sassanid Empire
, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Great Seljuq Empire
, Russian Empire
and Soviet Union
. Following Dissolution of the Soviet Union
both countries declared their independence. Diplomatic relations were established on August 27, 1992. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Astana
, also a consulate in Aktau
. Kazakhstan has an embassy in Baku
since December 16, 1994. Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
, Turkic Council
, Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture
, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
.
Azerbaijanis
and Kazakhs, both being Turkic-speaking nations
share close ties in history
, religion
and culture
, as well as they're regional neighbor surrounded by Caspian Sea
. During Great Purge
more than 150.000 of Azerbaijanis exiled to Kazakhstan and current Azeri population reaches above of 85,000. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan sees each other as their main ally and partner in Central Asia
and Transcaucasia.
and President of Kazakhstan
Nursultan Nazarbayev
reportedly were close friends for a long time. Nazarbayev have stated that:
Head of both states paid a visit to each other regularly. Heydar Aliyev paid a visit to Kazakhstan in order to take part at the 150th anniversary of Abay Kunanbayev. Heydar Aliyev was awarded with the medal "Astana" for his services in the development of friendly relations with Kazakhstan.
During the presidency of Aliyev the Azeri-Kazakh relations mostly covered the legal status of the Caspian Sea
and the fields of agriculture and energy. New impulse to the development of Azerbaijani–Kazakhstani relations was given by a state visit of current President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev
to Astana in March 2004, and a state visit of President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
to Azerbaijan in May 2005. A number of bilateral instruments, including the "Strategic Partnership and Allies' Relations Treaty", were signed. Both presidents regularly pays an official visit to each countries for discussing economical development, strategic alliance and co-operation in other areas, particularly on the transportation of the Caspian oil and gas to the world markets. Both of the presidents emphasized the importance of the role of Kazakhstan in large-scale projects, especially in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan.
Prime Minister of Azerbaijan
Artur Rasizade
participated in the inaugural ceremony of Kazakh President on January 11-12, 2006 in Astana.
One of priority directions in bilateral cooperation is co-ordination of legal status of the Caspian Sea
. On November 29, 2001, Presidents of the two countries signed the "Agreement on Delimitation of the Bottom of the Caspian Sea" during a CIS summit in Moscow
.
attempted to end the three year long hostilities between Armenia
and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
region. Although consensus was reached, Armenia didn't stop its attacks. The peace efforts came to a halt during the crash of Azerbaijani MI-8 helicopter with Russian, Kazakh observers and Azerbaijani high-ranking state officials on-board when it was shot down by Armenians over Karakend village of Khojavend district Despite of big part of Kazakh politicians supports Azerbaijan's positions, official Astana seeks for a peaceful resolution, also supports supports Lithuania
's efforts as the OSCE chairman to resolve protracted conflicts, in particular those of Nagorno-Karabakh
and Transnistria
. Famous Kazakh poet and politician Olzhas Suleimenov
have described Armenia as an "occupier" and added that Armenian forces should leave Azerbaijani territory.
129 million and imports from Azerbaijan totalled US $
3 million.
and Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture
. Famous Azerbaijani singer-songwriter and diplomat/politician Polad Bülbüloğlu
was awarded with National Award of Peace and Progress for his special contribution to peace and friendship and resolution of cultural problems in the Turkic-speaking world. Ilham Aliyev was awarded with being Honorary Professor of L.N.Gumilev Eurasian National University while his father Heydar Aliyev was named as an honorary doctor of Kazakh National University (which was named after Al-Farabi). Nursultan Nazarbayev was presenting in the celebration of "One thousand three hundredth anniversary of the epic Azerbaijani legend Book of Dede Korkut
".
On 25 September, 2006 Azerbaijani Culture Center named after Imadaddin Nasimi was opened in Cambul province of Kazakhstan. Since 2007 Azerbaijani diaspora publishes a newspaper named "Vətən" in Kazakhstan. Besides that, Sumgayit and Aktau
are twin towns. There's a monument in Kazakhstan dedicated to victims of Stalin's repressions in Azerbaijan. In 2011, Baku State University
opened center named after Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuli.
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia ....
, as well as the head of both states usually refer to it as Azeri-Kazakh brotherhood and consider the other nation an ally and a brother-nation.
Both Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
were part of Achaemenid Empire
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
, Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Great Seljuq Empire
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Following Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
both countries declared their independence. Diplomatic relations were established on August 27, 1992. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Astana
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
, also a consulate in Aktau
Aktau
Aktau , formerly known as Shevchenko , is a city in Kazakhstan's Mangyshlak Peninsula and country's only seaport on the Caspian Sea. It is the capital of Mangystau Province in western Kazakhstan...
. Kazakhstan has an embassy in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
since December 16, 1994. Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
Economic Cooperation Organization
The Economic Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental organization involving seven Asian and three Eurasian nations, part of the South-central Asian Union. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade, and investment opportunities. The ECO is an ad hoc...
, Turkic Council
Turkic Council
The Turkic Council is an international organization comprising Turkic countries. It was founded on 3 October 2009 in Nakhchivan. The General Secretariat is in İstanbul, Turkey. The member countries are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The remaining two Turkic states, Turkmenistan and...
, Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture
Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture
The Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture is an international cultural organization of countries with Turkic populations, speaking languages belonging to the Turkic language family....
, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
.
Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
and Kazakhs, both being Turkic-speaking nations
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
share close ties in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, as well as they're regional neighbor surrounded by Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. During Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
more than 150.000 of Azerbaijanis exiled to Kazakhstan and current Azeri population reaches above of 85,000. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan sees each other as their main ally and partner in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and Transcaucasia.
Political relations
Ex-President of Azerbaijan Heydar AliyevHeydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev , also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.From 1969 till 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet...
and President of Kazakhstan
President of Kazakhstan
President of Kazakhstan is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Kazakhstan. The authorities of this position are described in special section of Constitution of Kazakhstan....
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
reportedly were close friends for a long time. Nazarbayev have stated that:
Head of both states paid a visit to each other regularly. Heydar Aliyev paid a visit to Kazakhstan in order to take part at the 150th anniversary of Abay Kunanbayev. Heydar Aliyev was awarded with the medal "Astana" for his services in the development of friendly relations with Kazakhstan.
During the presidency of Aliyev the Azeri-Kazakh relations mostly covered the legal status of the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
and the fields of agriculture and energy. New impulse to the development of Azerbaijani–Kazakhstani relations was given by a state visit of current President of Azerbaijan
President of Azerbaijan
The country of Azerbaijan is a presidential republic, with the President of Azerbaijan as the head of state, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan as head of government...
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
to Astana in March 2004, and a state visit of President
President of Kazakhstan
President of Kazakhstan is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Kazakhstan. The authorities of this position are described in special section of Constitution of Kazakhstan....
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
to Azerbaijan in May 2005. A number of bilateral instruments, including the "Strategic Partnership and Allies' Relations Treaty", were signed. Both presidents regularly pays an official visit to each countries for discussing economical development, strategic alliance and co-operation in other areas, particularly on the transportation of the Caspian oil and gas to the world markets. Both of the presidents emphasized the importance of the role of Kazakhstan in large-scale projects, especially in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan.
Prime Minister of Azerbaijan
Prime Minister of Azerbaijan
The Prime Minister of Azerbaijan is the head of government of Azerbaijan. The current prime minister is Artur Rasizade.-Prime Ministers:* Fath Ali Khan Khoyski * Nasib Yusifbeyli...
Artur Rasizade
Artur Rasizade
Artur Tahir oğlu Rasizada , often spelled as Artur Rasizade , is the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. Rasizada was a long-time Communist Party member during the Azerbaijan SSR period...
participated in the inaugural ceremony of Kazakh President on January 11-12, 2006 in Astana.
One of priority directions in bilateral cooperation is co-ordination of legal status of the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. On November 29, 2001, Presidents of the two countries signed the "Agreement on Delimitation of the Bottom of the Caspian Sea" during a CIS summit in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
The Nagorno Karabakh War
Kazakhstan played a role during Nagorno-Karabakh War with showing the first peace attempt. Nursultan Nazarbayev and then President of Russia Boris YeltsinBoris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
attempted to end the three year long hostilities between Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
region. Although consensus was reached, Armenia didn't stop its attacks. The peace efforts came to a halt during the crash of Azerbaijani MI-8 helicopter with Russian, Kazakh observers and Azerbaijani high-ranking state officials on-board when it was shot down by Armenians over Karakend village of Khojavend district Despite of big part of Kazakh politicians supports Azerbaijan's positions, official Astana seeks for a peaceful resolution, also supports supports Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
's efforts as the OSCE chairman to resolve protracted conflicts, in particular those of Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
and Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
. Famous Kazakh poet and politician Olzhas Suleimenov
Olzhas Suleimenov
Olzhas Omaruli Suleimenov is a Soviet poet, Kazakhstani politician, and Soviet anti-nuclear activist.-Life:Suleimenov was born on 18 May 1936 in Alma-Ata. He graduated from Geological Sciences Department of Kazakh State University in 1959. Suleimenov also finished Gorkii Institute of Literature in...
have described Armenia as an "occupier" and added that Armenian forces should leave Azerbaijani territory.
Trade and economical cooperation
According to Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan, exports to Azerbaijan in 2005 were US $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
129 million and imports from Azerbaijan totalled US $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3 million.
Cultural relations
Both countries are members of Turkic CouncilTurkic Council
The Turkic Council is an international organization comprising Turkic countries. It was founded on 3 October 2009 in Nakhchivan. The General Secretariat is in İstanbul, Turkey. The member countries are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. The remaining two Turkic states, Turkmenistan and...
and Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture
Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture
The Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture is an international cultural organization of countries with Turkic populations, speaking languages belonging to the Turkic language family....
. Famous Azerbaijani singer-songwriter and diplomat/politician Polad Bülbüloğlu
Polad Bülbüloglu
Polad Bülbüloğlu is a Soviet and Azerbaijani singer, actor, politician and diplomat. Bülbüloğlu is currently the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation.-Biography:...
was awarded with National Award of Peace and Progress for his special contribution to peace and friendship and resolution of cultural problems in the Turkic-speaking world. Ilham Aliyev was awarded with being Honorary Professor of L.N.Gumilev Eurasian National University while his father Heydar Aliyev was named as an honorary doctor of Kazakh National University (which was named after Al-Farabi). Nursultan Nazarbayev was presenting in the celebration of "One thousand three hundredth anniversary of the epic Azerbaijani legend Book of Dede Korkut
Book of Dede Korkut
The Book of Dede Korkut, also spelled as Dada Gorgud, Dede Qorqut or Korkut-ata , is the most famous epic stories of the Oghuz Turks The stories carry morals and values significant to the social lifestyle of the nomadic Turks and their pre-Islamic beliefs...
".
On 25 September, 2006 Azerbaijani Culture Center named after Imadaddin Nasimi was opened in Cambul province of Kazakhstan. Since 2007 Azerbaijani diaspora publishes a newspaper named "Vətən" in Kazakhstan. Besides that, Sumgayit and Aktau
Aktau
Aktau , formerly known as Shevchenko , is a city in Kazakhstan's Mangyshlak Peninsula and country's only seaport on the Caspian Sea. It is the capital of Mangystau Province in western Kazakhstan...
are twin towns. There's a monument in Kazakhstan dedicated to victims of Stalin's repressions in Azerbaijan. In 2011, Baku State University
Baku State University
Baku State University is a public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan. Established in 1919 by the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the University started with faculties of history and philology; physics and mathematics; law and medicine with an initial enrollment of 1094...
opened center named after Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuli.