Tashkent became the center of a major regional development this past weekend as it hosted the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State, attended by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev at the invitation of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The visit proved historic: Azerbaijan was granted full-fledged membership in the Central Asian Consultative Meetings – effectively joining the region’s “five” as a new sixth participant. Although geographically outside Central Asia, Baku has already become a key player in its political and economic landscape.
Political analyst Farhad Mammadov shared his assessment of this milestone with Minval Politika.
Azerbaijan Opens a “New Page” With Central Asia
Mammadov described Azerbaijan’s accession as a strategic victory, emphasizing that full membership in the Consultative Council “opens a new page in Azerbaijan’s integration with Central Asia.”
He noted that the Council is an “innovative and evolving consultative platform,” one that historically follows a recognizable trajectory:
from advisory mechanism → to full-fledged organization → to potential union.
The Council already has a permanent secretariat, sets a coordinated agenda for member states, and has become an established tradition in regional diplomacy – providing greater long-term stability.
A Strategic Choice for Baku
The analyst underscored that Azerbaijan’s strategy toward Central Asia is rooted in deeper political, economic, and logistical integration with the region.
“This is why the decisions of the 7th Consultative Meeting hold special significance for us,” Mammadov said.
He stressed that Central Asia’s outlook is “very positive,” driven by recent summits, new agreements, and favorable geopolitical trends forming around the region. The Consultative Meetings, he said, help countries craft their positions and manage the influence of major powers.
Strengthening Regional Agency and Sovereignty
According to Mammadov, the format enables Central Asian states to reinforce their agency, consolidate sovereignty, create new security mechanisms, and foster constructive political dialogue among themselves.
For Azerbaijan, he added, these are key motivations behind joining the platform as a full member.
Different From the OTS – And Strategically Complementary
Mammadov highlighted a crucial distinction between the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the Central Asian Consultative format:
OTS includes Azerbaijan, Turkey, and four Central Asian states.
But Central Asian countries prioritize their own regional identity, making the Consultative Council their core platform.
Azerbaijan, he said, understands this and shapes its diplomacy accordingly.
Managing External Actors – Through Regional Unity
The analyst emphasized that Central Asian states independently choose the terms of engagement with Moscow, Beijing, Washington, Brussels, and others. The Consultative format helps them set the rules of the game, requiring external powers to operate within those parameters.
This experience, he said, is particularly valuable for Azerbaijan and the wider South Caucasus, offering lessons from a region that has already established effective mechanisms for balancing external influence.
