Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan relations as one of the components of the Caspian vector of Eurasian integration

Kerchelaev Yurii Vladimirovich HSE, Leading Expert 101000, Russia, Moscow, Moscow, Myasnitskaya str., 18, office 306K-V krchlv.link@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

A brief digression

"... Between us, with the blessing and mercy of Allah, there is unity in affairs, people and religion. The most suitable person for your love and friendship is the one who approaches you in language and faith!" – these words belong to the last Khorezm shah Jalal al-Din Manguberdi, which he addressed to the Azerbaijani rulers when he moved to Ganja after the defeat by the Mongols in 1220-1221.

In fact, contacts between the peoples of Azerbaijan and Central Asia (CA) began to form hundreds of years before the emergence of post-Soviet countries and are one of the prerequisites for the formation of Eurasian integration ^[1].

It is known that the monuments found in the places of residence of the peoples of Azerbaijan and Central Asia have a common symbolism, some of them, for example, in Uzbekistan, are dated back to the II millennium BC ^[1]. The Novruz holiday, celebrated in both regions, also confirms the close ties that have existed between peoples (not only Turkic, but also Iranian) since ancient times. This is indicated by archaeological sites from Azerbaijan and some Central Asian countries ^[1].

Trade contacts on the routes of the Great Silk Road serve as an example of the integration of the two regions, which explains the increase in the number of cities in Azerbaijan and Central Asia. Contacts between the regions became more frequent during the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750), which included the territory of present-day Azerbaijan and part of Central Asia. In addition, there is evidence of common oppositional views that existed during the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties (750-945, 1194-1258) ^[1].

The Arab conquest and subsequent Islamization radically changed the habitual way of life of peoples. The key direction that emerged during the period of Islamization is theology. The disciples of one of the greatest scientists – Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari (originally from the city of Bukhara, IX century) were many Azerbaijani theologians. The best disciple of ibn Sina (Avicenna) is considered to be Bahmanyar al-Azerbaijani ^[1].

Azerbaijani scientists of the 10th century were familiar with the works of Ferghana astronomer and geographer Ahmed al-Ferghana (IX century). At the beginning of the XI century, the Central Asian encyclopedist Muhammad al-Biruni gave the exact coordinates of 17 cities of Azerbaijan.  We have also received information about the friendship of the Azerbaijani Atabeks with the Khorezmshahs. The cultural ties that intensified during that period are confirmed by a number of gazelles (stanzas) that were discussed on both sides of the Caspian Sea. Some of the manuscripts of Azerbaijani authors are kept in the funds of the Central Asian republics, and Central Asian authors – in the funds and museums of Azerbaijan ^[1]. Based on the principle of historicism, it can be assumed that cultural exchange between the regions in this period (IX-XV centuries) was at the highest level.

In the XIV century, Amir Timur (Tamerlane) made three campaigns against Azerbaijan, which ended with the conclusion of an alliance with Shirvanshah Ibrahim I, the result of the last campaign was the help of Ibrahim I in attacks on the Golden Horde of Tokhtamysh (Timur's Second Campaign, 1931) and the Ottoman Empire of Bayezid the Lightning (The Battle of Angora/Ankara, 1402) ^[1].

Contacts between the regions intensified in the future, especially during the reign of the Sevefid dynasty, whose power partially extended to the territories of modern Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

After the signing of the Gulistan (1813) and Turkmanchay (1828) peace treaties, as well as the beginning of the "Big Game" and the annexation of part of Central Asia, the peoples began to live in one state again, however, it is obvious that the connection between them arose long before unification under the flags of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union.

The unified ideological and value basis of the Turkic countries of the former USSR (and Tajikistan) is manifested not only in the similarity of ideologies, but also in the issues of "nationalization of Islam", as well as multi-vector nature, the purpose of which is "to ensure the maximum amount of dividends for oneself through "adjustment" to certain international processes, without real subordination" ^{[2, 2]}.

After gaining independence, Azerbaijan and the Central Asian countries faced the issue of integration into the world community. Thanks to the Soviet "baggage" and centuries-old ties, integration into the Eurasian, and mainly into the regional Caspian system of relations was not a difficult task, however, the first years after the disintegration of the USSR did not turn out to be easy, from the point of view of building relations with "overseas" partners ^{[2, 2]}. Despite the fact that during the identified in time with the "Medieval" Middle Ages, the relations of the states that existed on the territories of modern Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries often had an "Oguz hue", the territory of southern and southeastern Kazakhstan and the peoples who inhabited it have always been an integral part of the Central Asian cultural and ethnic belt.

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in Modern times

Azerbaijan's main partner in Central Asia is Kazakhstan. Based on the geographical location of the countries, as well as the presence of large hydrocarbon reserves, the states occupy a special place in Central Eurasian politics. In addition, the development of both countries in the post-Soviet period looks very similar. Kazakhstan has managed to get out of economic stagnation in much the same way as Azerbaijan: by developing new oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea, as well as by attracting foreign investment, while maintaining allied relations with Russia. The leaders of both countries also had a similar position regarding the issue of the status of the Caspian Sea ^{[3, 727]}.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Azerbaijan has been functioning since 1993. In 2004, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Kazakhstan was opened ^[4].

The first official visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Baku took place in 1996 ^{[3, 732]}. This visit was preceded by a meeting of the leaders in Alma-Ata in 1994, when Heydar Aliyev was returning from China ^{[5, 5]}. Already in 1997, the leader of Azerbaijan arrived on an official visit to Kazakhstan ^{[3, 732]}.  The presidents also made mutual visits within the framework of the Summits of the Heads of Turkic-speaking states (later transformed into the Turkic Council) in 1998 (the opening of the city of Astana, the V summit) and in 2000 (the VI summit in Baku) ^{[3, 732]}.

The Kazakh leader attended the funeral ceremony of President Aliyev ^{[3, 732]}. In 2018, a translation of the book about Heydar Aliyev was published – "Going Ahead" in Kazakh, the preface to the book was written by Nursultan Nazarbayev ^[4].

With the beginning of the presidency of Ilham Aliyev, a new stage of cooperation has started. On March 1, 2004, during the first official visit of the Azerbaijani leader to Astana, the heads of the two countries signed the "Declaration on Friendship Relations and Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Kazakhstan". The issue of Kazakhstan's participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project and possible options for a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict were also discussed at this meeting ^{[6, 109]}.

At the same time, an expanded meeting was held. Opening it, President N. Nazarbayev noted that the "fraternal peoples of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan" have a common cultural and historical, common geographical and political space. He stressed that President Heydar Aliyev made a great contribution to the formation of an independent Azerbaijani state and to the strengthening of relations between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan ^{[7, 95]}.

At the joint press conference of the leaders, the Kazakh president also noted the importance of cooperation with Baku within the framework of the UN, OSCE and Turkic integration ^{[7, 96-97]}. In addition, he voiced the official position of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which was to support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. N. Nazarbayev recalled that he flew to the conflict site with former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, but said that the OSCE Minsk Group should deal with the conflict resolution, and Kazakhstan, in turn, is ready to do everything for this forces ^{[7, 98-99]}.

Among the documents signed during the first official visit of Ilham Aliyev to Kazakhstan as President of Azerbaijan, one can single out: the protocol "On further development of cooperation in the field of civil aviation between the aviation authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Kazakhstan" ^{[7, 249]}, the declaration "On friendly relations and strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Kazakhstan" ^{[7, 271]}, as well as agreements on scientific and technical cooperation and cooperation in the field of culture at the interstate and municipal levels ^{[7, 283-286]}.

Kazakhstan's participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project was noted in the agreements of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AR) with Georgia and Turkey. In September of the same year, the heads of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan attended the Summit of the CIS Heads of state ^{[7, 523]}. It should also be noted that the opening of the monument "Dede Gorgud" (a character of the heroic epic of the Turkic Oguz tribe) in Brussels at the World Customs Organization building in 2004 began with speeches by President I.Aliyev and the famous Kazakh writer, Kazakhstan's permanent representative to UNESCO Olzhas Suleymanov ^{[7, 252]}.

A little later, on May 24, 2005, the "Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Allied Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Kazakhstan" was signed in Baku ^{[6, 109]}. During this visit, Kazakh leader N.Nazarbayev uttered the phrase: "I believe that Kazakhstan in Central Asia is a key partner for Azerbaijan, as it is for us in the Caucasus" ^{[6, 102]}. The Kazakh President also noted that the peoples have "a common history, common great ancestors, language, traditions and culture" ^{[6, 102]}. During this visit, the Azerbaijani section of the BTC named after him was also opened. Heydar Aliyev ^{[8, 113]}.

In addition to bilateral visits, the leaders of the countries have met many times among themselves and within the framework of various summits. From 1992 to 2020, more than 30 meetings of the heads of the CIS member states took place. In 2006, I. Aliyev arrived in Alma-Ata to participate in the Second Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA), where he delivered a speech on the problem of terrorism in the context of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations ^{[6, 90]}. I. Aliyev also met with Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmatov ^{[9, 31]}.

On July 16, 2006, the next visit of I.Aliyev to Kazakhstan took place ^{[10, 24]}. During which an agreement was signed on Kazakhstan's participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project ^{[11, 28]}. In addition, during the year, the Azerbaijani president met with Olzhas Suleymanov ^{[11, 60]}, Secretary of State of the Republic of Kazakhstan Oralbai Abdykerimov within the framework of the 10th Congress of Friendship, Brotherhood and Cooperation of Turkic-speaking states and communities ^{[12, 504]}, as well as two more times with Kazakh leader N. Nazarbayev as part of an informal meeting of heads of state-CIS members in Moscow and at the VIII Summit of the Heads of State of the Turkic-speaking countries ^{[13, 74]}.

In 2007, one of the most significant meetings at the highest and high levels can be distinguished by the visit to Azerbaijan of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov, which preceded the visit of N. Nazarbayev. The Kazakh Prime Minister flew to a meeting with I. Aliyev, after which they went to the opening of a grain terminal in Baku ^{[14, 192]}. From that moment, Kazakh grain began to be supplied to the West and through the territory of Azerbaijan ^{[15, 127]}.

Two weeks after the arrival of K.Massimov, the akim of the Mangistau region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kerimbek Kusherbayev, visited Azerbaijan ^{[14, 275]}. It should be noted that of all the regions of Kazakhstan, the Mangystau region is the key in building relations between Kazakhstan and the Republic of Azerbaijan, since it is there that the seaports connected with Baku are located.

In August 2007, N.Nazarbayev visited Azerbaijan again ^{[14, 211]}. During the visit of the Kazakh President to Azerbaijan, agreements were concluded in the field of trade, finance and television ^{[6, 79]}. The next day, the Azerbaijani leader met with Prime Minister K. Masimov again ^{[14, 228]}. In October 2007 And .Aliyev also received D. Akhmetov, who took up the post of Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan ^{[14, 284]}.

In 2008, a meeting was held between I.Aliyev and Chairman of the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ^{[16, 49]}, and the Azerbaijani President visited the Republic of Kazakhstan on the anniversary of the tenth anniversary of Astana ^{[16, 166-167]}.

The following year also turned out to be quite productive: the presidents of the two countries met in Russia, Kazakhstan ^{[17, 508]} and Azerbaijan. During the meeting in Baku, an agreement was signed on the transportation of Kazakh oil through the Baku–Supsa (BS) oil pipeline ^{[18, 14-15]}. Also in 2009, a multilateral meeting of the Presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan was held ^{[19, 237]}.

In addition, in 2009, Nakhichevan hosted the IX Summit of the Heads of Turkic-speaking Countries (since 2011 - the Turkic Council), which was attended by: Azerbaijani President I. Aliyev, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, as well as N.Nazarbayev, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Khidyr Saparliev. A number of agreements on cooperation in various fields were signed at the Summit ^{[6, 57]}.

In 2010, the Third Summit of the heads of the Caspian littoral states - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan - took place, within the framework of which the presidents of the two countries met once again ^{[20, 149]}.

In the late 2010s, visits to Kazakhstan were made by I. Aliyev in 2015 (twice), as well as in 2017 and 2018. N.Nazarbayev visited Azerbaijan in 2017 for the last time as President of the Republic of Kazakhstan ^[4].

In total, from 1991 to 2005, 83 documents on cooperation in various fields were signed by the countries ^{[3, 732]}. As already mentioned in the section describing relations with post-Soviet countries, from 2001 to 2003, the leaders of the countries signed bilateral or multilateral documents in the field of energy and security in the Caspian region ^{[21, 134]}. By the beginning of 2020, their number had increased to 119 ^[4]. One of the most significant documents signed between the countries is the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, repeatedly mentioned in the work, signed in Aktau (Kazakhstan) in 2018 ^{[21, 134-35]}.

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have provided mutual support to each other within the framework of international organizations. This support contributed to the election of Azerbaijan to non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council in 2012-2013, as well as the election of Kazakhstan to the same position in 2017-2018. In addition, Azerbaijan was one of the first to support the holding of the international exhibition Expo-2017 in Kazakhstan ^[4]

Until 1999, both Baku and Astana were members of the CSTO (now the CSTO), therefore, they practically did not engage in the development of bilateral military relations directly ^{[15, 127]}. However, after Azerbaijan withdrew from the Treaty for reasons of the impossibility of being in a single bloc with Armenia, Kazakhstan did not stop bilateral cooperation with both countries ^{[15, 127]}.

Baku and Astana also had contacts in the military sphere. As Kazakhstan grew politically, it began to cooperate with various military-political blocs in addition to the CSTO: NATO, SCO. A striking example of such cooperation is the program of joint training of the coast guards of the two countries under the patronage of NATO, mentioned in the section on Azerbaijani-American relations.

In 2007, the then Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan D. Akhmetov visited Baku. The Minister was personally received by I. Aliyev. During the meeting, the "successful development of bilateral relations" between the countries was discussed, and the hope was expressed that "the visit of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan will serve to expand cooperation between the Ministries of Defense of the two countries" ^{[15, 127]}.

After receiving the Azerbaijani President, D. Akhmetov went to a meeting with the head of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan Safar Abiyev. At this meeting, the ministers noted that "there is a great need to continue closer cooperation between the military departments of the countries" ^{[15, 127]}. As a result of that meeting, the "Plan of Military cooperation in the military sphere" was signed ^{[15, 127]}.

In May 2009, both countries began to "seriously coordinate their positions in the field of naval security" ^{[15, 128]}. The press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that "discussions on cooperation in the naval sphere were initiated in Kazakhstan ..." ^{[15, 128]}.

The rapprochement of the two countries was rather jealously perceived in Yerevan, which was not unreasonably concerned about the possible deterioration of its geopolitical position. Thus, even before the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev to Armenia as OSCE Chairman, Yerevan accused him of "Turkic solidarity" after the statements of the Kazakh minister that Kazakhstan "will pay special attention to the resolution of the Karabakh conflict" ^{[15, 128]}.

In addition, the countries have always been headliners of Turkic organizations, namely: the Turkic Council, the International Turkish Academy, the Foundation of Turkic Heritage and Culture, the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries (TURKPA), TURKSOY ^[4].

In addition to the Turkic foundation of both countries, another important factor linking the states was cooperation in the field of energy and economy, which can be understood from the key statements of the leaders and the interest of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in participating in a number of energy projects in the Caspian and South Caucasus (BS, BTC, TASIM, TRACECA).

The created infrastructure aims to expand the logistics network of the Caspian region, including the main transport project - TRACECA ("Europe-Caucasus-Asia"), recreating one of the lines of the New Silk Road, which indirectly allowed to increase the utilization of the BTC, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars corridors. Also in 2006 and 2016, the countries discussed a project for the construction of a new oil pipeline that could serve the growing potential of Kazakhstan as an oil exporter ^[22] In 2017, at a meeting in Baku, N.Nazarbayev suggested that soon the volume of traffic along the Azerbaijani-Kazakh section of the "New Silk Road" should begin to be estimated 6-7 billion dollars ^[23].

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia established the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM) in 2013. Railway ferries connect the cities of China with Azerbaijan (via the Baku commercial port), from where they go further through Turkey to the Mediterranean or the Northern Black Sea region ^[24].

A permanent ferry service has been established between the ports of Aktau and Baku. Railway ferries and Ro-Ro vessels (for wheelbase cargo) transport petroleum products, as well as consumer goods, grain and mineral fertilizers, covering 253 nautical miles in about 18 hours. Ferries can accommodate up to fifty-four railway cars and thirty-five heavy trucks ^[25]. This logistical solution has made it possible to diversify the North-South route.

Azerbaijani organizations are also implementing a number of projects on the territory of the Aktau Seaport Free Economic Zone. In addition, the Azerbaijani side also participated in the reconstruction of the Shymkent-Tashkent road ^[26].

Another major project is the Trans-Eurasian Information Superhighway (TASIM), which began to be created in 2008. Its goal is to lay fiber-optic networks from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, through the territories of European countries, as well as Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan ^[27].

Economic indicators reflect the development of relations between countries. According to the information provided by researcher A.Hasanov, from 2000 to 2005, the trade turnover between the countries increased almost fivefold and amounted to $ 150 million ^{[3, 728]}. However, Nursultan Nazarbayev, during his visit to Azerbaijan in 2005, called a different figure – $ 246.2 million. In 2014, this figure reached $ 250 million, but by 2018 it had decreased to $220 million ^[4].

The presence of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Kazakhstan, which was formed there long before the disintegration of the USSR, was also important at all times. One of the key tasks outlined by Heydar Aliyev was and is the policy towards the Azerbaijani diaspora in the world. For this purpose, the AR State Committee for Work with the Diaspora was established in the country ^[28].

According to the National Census of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2009, more than 85,000 Azerbaijanis lived in the country ^[29]. The co-chairman of the Azerbaijani diaspora "Khazar" in Kazakhstan, Vidadi Salakhov, claimed 300,000 Azerbaijanis in 2006 ^[30]. The All-Union census of 1989 recorded 90,083 Azerbaijanis in the Kazakh SSR ^[31].

Since the 1990s, the societies "Birlik" in the Aktobe region, "Khazar" in Astana, "Kamus" in the Karaganda region, "Vatan" in the Povladar district and others began to function. New Azerbaijani cultural centers appeared. The Azerbaijani cultural Center "Nasimi" was established in one of the villages of the Dzhambul region ^[32].

The largest economic and political organization of Azerbaijanis in the Republic of Kazakhstan has become the cultural center "Turan", which began its activities back in 1997. "Turan", subsequently, established the city cultural center "Ozan". Following this, the process was continued in other regions of the country ^{[33, 71]}. The newspapers "Vatan" and "Turan Express" began to be published in Azerbaijani, the first Azerbaijani mosque was built. Thanks to the Turan society, close contacts are maintained with Azerbaijani organizations around the world, and mainly in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic ^[32].

Thus, during the reign of Heydar Aliyev, a powerful foundation was laid in Azerbaijani-Kazakh relations. The given vector was supported by the team of Ilham Aliyev, who paid great attention to the problem of the Caspian Sea and issues of cooperation with the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Since 2004, the countries have been actively cooperating in various fields. If before the beginning of the XXI century, meetings and agreements were mostly friendly in nature or were related to the participation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the resolution of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, then during the reign of Ilham Aliyev, relations between the countries reached a qualitatively new level.

This is largely due to the fact that Azerbaijan has managed to launch alternative logistics corridors to Russia along the Asia–Europe route. From the very beginning, Kazakhstan has expressed interest in participating in major projects in the South Caucasus. The most successful was the cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the framework of the supply of Kazakh oil for its further transportation through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipelines, and to a lesser extent, Baku–Supsa. In addition, sea, air and even railway communication between the countries was launched ^[34]. The states also began to cooperate in the agricultural sector.

Military-political cooperation between Baku and Astana has also reached a new level, both within the framework of contacts in international and regional organizations, and within the framework of bilateral relations.

Thus, such productivity in relations sets Kazakhstan apart in Baku's Central Asian policy. Azerbaijan has developed close relations only with this country of the region on all lines of contact.

The most important link is probably not so much the cultural, ethnic, religious or geographical proximity of the two states, as the economic component, and mainly logistics corridors, largely thanks to which Kazakhstan, like Azerbaijan, has the opportunity to export its products to world markets, such as the Mediterranean, while remaining countries, with no access to the world ocean.

Such frequency of contacts and agreements confirms the importance of the Caspian vector in Eurasian integration. Perhaps it is the Caspian region that will regain the palm among the centers of Eurasian cooperation, as a "Eurasian crossroads", being part of not only the New Silk Road, but a number of other and modern logistics projects.