Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture for geological exploration, expanding strategic cooperation in the mining sector and strengthening economic ties between the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

The announcement was made by Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov, who shared details following the 15th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation held during his working visit to Uzbekistan, The Caspian Post reports via Jabbarov's message on X.

During our working visit to Uzbekistan, together with Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, we participated in the 15th Meeting of the #Azerbaijan–#Uzbekistan Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation.

Guided by the priorities set by… pic.twitter.com/5VzNbS17pX

— Mikayil Jabbarov (@MikayilJabbarov) July 17, 2026

Jabbarov said that he and Uzbekistan's Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov discussed ways to deepen trade and investment partnerships, create new production and value chains linking Central Asia and the South Caucasus, enhance transport and logistics along the Middle Corridor, and expand bilateral investment cooperation.

The meeting concluded with the signing of a protocol aimed at strengthening cooperation between Baku and Tashkent across a wide range of sectors, including trade, energy, transport, agriculture, food security, healthcare, environmental protection, and other strategic areas.

The two sides also signed the founding terms for a joint geological exploration venture involving AzerGold CJSC, Uzbek Geological Exploration JSC, and the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Company, marking a new milestone in bilateral cooperation on natural resource development.