Azerbaijan-Central Asia trade up 50 percent: over 400 companies active

The VIII Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries was held in the city of Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan. At the meeting, it was decided that Azerbaijan will chair this format in 2027 and that the country will be represented as a full participant starting from November 2025.

According to President Ilham Aliyev's speech, Azerbaijan's trade turnover with Central Asian countries increased by more than 50 percent last year, and currently more than 400 companies with capital from this region operate in the country. In recent years, joint investment funds have been created with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, with the capital of each fund amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.

At the meeting, the expansion of cooperation in the fields of trade, energy, transport, investment and regional security was noted as key directions. It was emphasized that the interests of the countries on both shores of the Caspian Sea overlap in many areas.

These figures are an indirect signal for the flow of guests and business trips from the region: as the number of companies operating in Baku with Central Asian capital grows, demand is also forming in the city for business meetings, events and long-term stays. For hotel and restaurant owners, this means focusing on service in regional languages and on the business guest segment.