Astana welcomes pre-signing of peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku, Aliyev to leave for Astana

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will pay a state visit to Kazakhstan on Oct. 20–21 at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to Tokayev’s press service, the two leaders will hold talks and take part in a session of the Intergovernmental Council and a business forum.

Experts told TASS that the main topics of discussion are expected to include cooperation in the fields of transport and communications. Energy issues, including oil transportation via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, will also be among the key items on the agenda.

Bulat Auelbayev, chief expert of the Asian Studies Department at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, said that both countries are members of various international organizations and associations, and that Astana, “as an initiator and supporter of peacekeeping initiatives,” is interested in establishing lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“Astana welcomes the preliminary signing of a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan, as well as the joint declaration signed with the mediation of the United States,” Auelbayev noted.