Tashkent, August 24, 2026 – The Europe Today: Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan exchanged their countries’ highest state awards during a ceremony in Tashkent on Saturday, in recognition of their contributions to strengthening bilateral friendship, strategic partnership and alliance.
President Mirziyoyev presented President Aliyev with the highest degree of Uzbekistan’s “Dostlik” (Friendship) Order.
Addressing the ceremony, Mirziyoyev described Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan as a historic event and said the two leaders had reviewed all areas of bilateral cooperation and agreed on a new roadmap, including a target to increase trade turnover between the two countries to $1 billion.
Mirziyoyev said the two countries were opening a new chapter in bilateral relations, noting the significant progress achieved in recent years. He praised Azerbaijan’s development under President Aliyev’s leadership and highlighted the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity and the ongoing reconstruction and development of Garabagh.
The Uzbek President emphasized that the peoples of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan share centuries-old ties rooted in common history, religion, culture, language and traditions.
He said President Aliyev had made a major contribution to the development of multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and had played a leading role in establishing their alliance.
Mirziyoyev expressed confidence that the recently signed Treaty on Eternal Friendship would give further impetus to bilateral relations.
Presenting the “Dostlik” Order to President Aliyev, Mirziyoyev said the award represented Uzbekistan’s recognition of his contribution to strengthening Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations based on eternal friendship, strategic partnership and alliance.
In response, President Aliyev thanked Mirziyoyev for the high recognition and described the award as a great honour and a reflection of the brotherly attitude of the Uzbek leadership and people towards Azerbaijan.
Aliyev pledged to continue working to strengthen friendship and brotherhood between the two countries and their peoples.
He highlighted the strategic and allied nature of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations, saying that substantial progress had been achieved within a relatively short period.
The Azerbaijani President attributed the success of bilateral ties to the common roots, cultural and linguistic affinity, shared traditions and centuries-old friendship between the Uzbek and Azerbaijani peoples.
Aliyev also praised President Mirziyoyev’s role in strengthening bilateral relations and expressed appreciation for Uzbekistan’s support for the reconstruction of Azerbaijan’s liberated territories.
He noted that Uzbekistan was the first country to provide assistance for the reconstruction of Garabagh, including through major development projects.
The Azerbaijani President also commended Uzbekistan’s economic and urban development, particularly the transformation of Tashkent, Samarkand and other cities. He described the development of New Tashkent as a major achievement in modern urban planning and a reflection of Uzbekistan’s vision for future development.
Aliyev said the two countries were moving from plans to concrete joint projects and investments in agriculture, industry, mining and energy, with bilateral investment initiatives expected to reach billions of dollars.
In recognition of President Mirziyoyev’s contribution to strengthening Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations, President Aliyev announced that he had signed a decree awarding him Azerbaijan’s highest state distinction, the Heydar Aliyev Order.
President Aliyev subsequently presented the Heydar Aliyev Order to President Mirziyoyev.
The exchange of the highest state awards underscored the close personal ties between the two leaders and the rapidly developing strategic and allied partnership between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
