The AIR Center together with the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Azerbaijan held a round table dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and to the formation of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Expert Council. The AIR Center Chairman Farid Shafiyev stressed that the processes taking place in both countries and in the region, show that there is a need for experts to assess these issues and make recommendations to governments. He also added that the relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are constantly expanding, and new opportunities have emerged after the foundation of the Middle Corridor.

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Serjan Abdykarimov said that the diplomatic relations between the two countries have reached a new level during past 30 years and characterized the current relations as a strategic partnership. The ambassador said that with the liberation of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, historical justice was restored, and the post-conflict period has already begun. He also stressed the role of Azerbaijan in the region that the reconstruction works in the liberated lands bring about. S. Serjan Abdykarimov mentioned that “work on the post-conflict period is progressing well. Fuzuli airport and Shusha Road were built in record time.”

Head of the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerkin Tukumov expressed high hopes that the establishment of the Expert Council will bring the relations between the two countries to a new sustainable and comprehensive stage. According to him, the establishment of the Council is a historic process and will not be just a formality: "We will support the leadership of our countries to further deepen fraternal ties."

The Deputy Chief of the Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, West and Central Asia Department of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan Zamin Aliyev, said that 123 documents covering various fields have been signed between the two countries. According to him, bilateral relations covering all spheres of cooperation, are expanding day by day. “After the liberation of our lands from occupation, work is underway to open transport and communication lines within the new realities formed in the region. The Zangazur corridor that is a reality of the post-conflict period, creates new opportunities for Kazakhstan”.

The Member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Parvin Karimzadeh said that inter-parliamentary relations between the two countries are also developing, and the parliament contributes to the further development of these relations.

At the end of the event a “Memorandum of Understanding on Establishment of Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Expert Council” was signed between the AIR Center and the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan