Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have agreed to increase cultural cooperation, reports The Astana Times on Tuesday (9 May).
Kazakh Minister of Culture and Sports Askhat Oralov announced last week that his country intends to strengthen cultural ties with Azerbaijan and other Turkic countries through the Organization of Turkic States and the International Organization of Turkic Culture.
Oralov wrote that he had met with the President of the International Foundation for Turkic Culture and Heritage, Gunay Efendiyeva, to discuss implementing joint cultural events in which Azerbaijan would host Kazakh cultural events, and Kazakhstan would host Azerbaijani cultural events.
"This is a great opportunity to learn more about our shared culture and introduce it to those interested in the history of the Turkic civilization," wrote Oralov.
The news comes after Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are rapidly increasing cooperation in other areas, especially trans-Caspian trade.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the effective closure of the northern transport corridor, Kazakhstan and and Azerbaijan now play a role more critical than ever before in enabling east-west trade via the middle corridor across the Caspian Sea.