Baku hosts roundtable on Kazakh President's state-of-the-nation address

The event brought together Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Alim Bayel, Azerbaijani Milli Majlis deputy Azer Allahveranov, representatives of leading analytical centers, political scientists, experts and diplomats.

During the meeting, Ambassador Bayel briefed Azerbaijani experts on the key priorities outlined in Tokayev’s address, titled “Kazakhstan’s Current Priorities in a New Historical Cycle.”

He highlighted large-scale infrastructure modernization, the launch of the “People’s Construction” program, the development of Kazakhstan’s transport and logistics potential, and the accelerated digitalization of the economy. The ambassador also noted that Kazakhstan was among the first countries to establish a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and outlined the country’s achievements in the IT sector.

Bayel also discussed the outcomes of Tokayev’s visit to Baku in October 2026 to attend the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Following joint efforts by Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, a decision was made to extend Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the organization and appoint an Azerbaijani representative as its Secretary General. Expert Farhad Mammadov described the decision as a successful step in strengthening Azerbaijan’s diplomatic engagement across Asia.

The ambassador also emphasized the importance of major joint infrastructure projects, highlighting the launch of a fiber-optic communication line during the presidential visit. He described it as the first successfully implemented trans-Caspian infrastructure project, expressing confidence that further initiatives would follow.

In addition, the two countries’ presidents signed an intergovernmental agreement on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route in Baku, further strengthening the corridor’s status.

The participants gave a positive assessment of Tokayev’s address, noting that the unprecedented intensity of bilateral political dialogue was contributing to broader cooperation and providing fresh momentum for strategic joint projects in the energy and transport sectors.

Azerbaijani parliamentarian Azer Allahveranov proposed expanding cooperation between non-governmental organizations in the two countries and expressed his intention to promote the initiative through interparliamentary cooperation.

Murad Sadaddinov, founder of the BIZ CLUB intellectual platform, highlighted the high standard of higher education in Kazakhstan. He noted that the country was rapidly expanding its educational capacity by opening branches of international universities, resulting in a significant increase in the number of Azerbaijani students studying at Kazakhstani universities in recent years.

Orkhan Yolchuyev, director of the CASPIA analytical center, stressed the importance of cooperation in transport and logistics, as well as simplifying bureaucratic procedures.

Natig Jafarli, chairman of the Real Alternative Party, highlighted the growing importance of cooperation in information technology and artificial intelligence. He also emphasized the need to maintain cooperation in traditional economic sectors, develop industrial partnerships and explore joint production of petroleum products.

The roundtable also featured discussions on energy and transport cooperation, scientific and expert exchanges, and cultural and humanitarian ties.

The participants further noted the growing importance of the Organization of Turkic States and exchanged views on its future development.

Experts also expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for its consistent support of Azerbaijan’s participation in the Central Asian cooperation framework.

Earlier, Qazinform reported the Kazakh President’s address had been discussed at a roundtable in Sofia.