"Central Asia + Azerbaijan": Agenda for the Upcoming Avaza Summit Laid Out in Cholpon-Ata
An informal Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan took place in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, on July 31. The talks on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul were attended by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The main outcome of the meeting was the signing of the Cholpon-Ata Declaration and the agreement on the architecture of the upcoming autumn Summit, which will be hosted by Turkmenistan.
The current dialogue in Issyk-Kul once again demonstrated the impressive evolution of the regional partnership. The initiative to establish regular meetings of Central Asian leaders, put forward several years ago by National Leader of the Turkmen People, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, has developed into an effective coordination mechanism. Azerbaijan's full accession to this format has laid a solid foundation for the formation of a unified transport, energy, and investment system across Eurasia.
Welcoming his colleagues, summit host Sadyr Japarov emphasized that regional cooperation has reached a qualitatively new level thanks to the resolution of border issues and growing mutual trust. During the discussion, the leaders focused on strategic infrastructure projects—from the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the Kambarata-1 Hydroelectric Power Station to the initiative to introduce a unified tourist visa for foreign citizens visiting countries in the region. In turn, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for Turkmenistan's accession to the Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the 21st Century.
The central theme of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's speech was the announcement of the program for the Eighth Consultative Meeting, which Turkmenistan will chair in 2026. The summit of Central Asian leaders and Azerbaijan is scheduled for October 8, 2026, in the Avaza National Tourist Zone.
The Turkmen side has approached the preparations for this event with the utmost responsibility and has already sent its partners a draft agenda based on five key areas. These include a substantive exchange of views on regional security and foreign policy, further deepening trade, economic, and energy partnerships, developing sustainable transport and logistics corridors, as well as joint measures to adapt to climate change, rationally use the resources of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, and save the Aral Sea. The fifth important area will be the expansion of humanitarian and educational ties, student and youth exchanges.
During the preparations for and during the Avaza Summit, a number of international forums and cultural events will take place. The heads of state highly praised Ashgabat's organizational efforts and confirmed their readiness to actively participate in the autumn meeting in Avaza.
The summit's final document was the Cholpon-Ata Declaration, which set a course for further strengthening good-neighborliness, prosperity, and mutual trust in the region. The leaders' visit to Cholpon-Ata symbolically concluded with their joint participation in the opening ceremony of the new five-star Baku Resort & Spa in the village of Kara-Oy. This complex, built as part of Kyrgyz-Azerbaijani investment cooperation, showcased the practical fruits of cooperation, the need for which the heads of state had emphasized that day.
