The key facts
- The October 8 meeting in Avaza was the first in the six-party format with Azerbaijan, which joined in November 2025.
- Tokayev proposed raising intra-regional trade to $20 billion (currently about 8% of turnover); Mirziyoyev — a forum in Khiva in 2027.
- Discussions covered water scarcity, security, the Middle Corridor and TRIPP, energy and critical minerals.
First meeting in the six-party format
On October 8, the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan was held in the resort zone of Avaza on the Caspian coast of Turkmenistan. This is the first official meeting since Azerbaijan became a full participant of the format in November 2025. The presidents discussed the future of the Consultative Meetings, challenges facing the region, and joint projects. All five leaders named trust and good neighborliness as the foundation of cooperation. Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that the countries do not seek to create cumbersome structures and that a flexible format based on mutual respect and pragmatism is needed. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed keeping the meetings as a platform for direct dialogue without excessive formalization. Serdar Berdimuhamedov proposed supplementing the format with permanent six-party mechanisms in foreign policy, the economy and the humanitarian sphere, including regular consultations among foreign ministries.
Azerbaijan's participation
Serdar Berdimuhamedov called Azerbaijan's accession the most important and natural result of years of rapprochement among the states. Mirziyoyev also spoke of it as a full participant, including Azerbaijan in his proposed formula of "six economies — one product." Tokayev called Central Asia and Azerbaijan centers of growth and geopolitical interaction in Eurasia. Sadyr Japarov and Emomali Rahmon pledged support for Azerbaijan's chairmanship. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev reported that last year his country's trade turnover with the Central Asian countries grew by more than 50%. Joint investment funds have been established with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the capital of each of which, according to him, "amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars." Aliyev called for making more active use of their potential for joint projects, production facilities and access to external markets.
Security and water scarcity
The main topics were security in a changing world and water shortages. Tokayev named terrorism, drug trafficking, arms and human trafficking, illegal migration, organized crime and fraud as threats, and also pointed to the risk of digital technologies falling into the hands of terrorists and drug cartels. He called for developing joint approaches to controlling critical technologies and ensuring the implementation of the Regional Security Concept and the Risk Catalogue adopted last year in Tashkent. Berdimuhamedov named civilized dialogue and negotiations as the basis of Turkmenistan's approach. On water, Tokayev called for developing new approaches to managing transboundary water resources, naming the Central Asian Framework Convention on Water Use as the starting point, and supported the creation of an International Water Organization under UN auspices. Mirziyoyev proposed digital monitoring, modernization of irrigation and permanent dialogue with Afghanistan. Rahmon called for cooperation in combating climate change, glacier melting, water scarcity and dust storms; Japarov — for preserving glaciers and mountain ecosystems.
Trade and industry
Mirziyoyev stated that the Comprehensive Regional Program of Trade and Economic Cooperation until 2035 should become a working tool for leveraging the region's shared geography. Uzbekistan proposed holding a Central Asia and Azerbaijan business forum in Khiva in 2027, as well as creating a Platform for Financial and Technical Support of Joint Investment Projects — this issue should be considered by the Council of Ministers of Trade and Investments in Ashgabat. Tokayev noted that intra-regional trade last year amounted to about 8% of the states' total turnover and proposed that governments develop an Action Plan to raise it to at least $20 billion. Japarov proposed a unified electronic trading platform with its own logistics, for which Kyrgyzstan is ready to engage specialists from the High Technology Park. Rahmon advocated joint enterprises, product processing and the exchange of experience in adapting to the requirements of external markets. Berdimuhamedov proposed creating export agro-industrial complexes and removing barriers.
Transport and logistics
Tokayev proposed discussing at the expert level the integration of the Trans-Caspian route (Middle Corridor) with the transport initiative TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity). Mirziyoyev stated that the region could become one of the key land routes of global trade and proposed accelerating the creation of the Council on Infrastructure Development, the first meeting of which Uzbekistan is ready to host. Japarov named reducing delivery costs and shortening transit times as benchmarks. Rahmon called for removing barriers, simplifying procedures and developing multimodal routes. Berdimuhamedov emphasized the role of the Central Asia — Caspian Sea — South Caucasus — Europe corridor and stated Turkmenistan's readiness to provide its Caspian infrastructure on a mutually beneficial basis. According to Aliyev, transit along the Middle Corridor grew by more than 10% last year, and by almost another 20% in the first 8 months of 2026; in parallel, the "Digital Silk Road" project is being implemented and work is underway on fiber-optic lines along the bottom of the Caspian Sea.
Energy and resources
Mirziyoyev proposed preparing a Joint Concept of Low-Carbon Energy Potential to coordinate new capacity, energy storage systems and energy corridors, as well as intensifying the creation of the Regional Alliance on Critical Minerals initiated by Uzbekistan — a first step could be a Unified Digital Map of their reserves. Rahmon proposed compiling a list of priority energy projects with joint financing mechanisms, building a large modern oil refinery to serve the needs of the entire region, and developing a regional strategy for a "green" transition. Berdimuhamedov noted that cooperation should not be limited to pipelines and proposed electricity supply projects and sustainable links in the power sector. Aliyev recalled the work with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on creating a green energy corridor.
