Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan Strengthen Trade Ties

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are strengthening their trans-Caspian relationship. Closer bilateral ties can provide a big boost to the development of the Middle Corridor trade route. Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, has sought to reinforce relations with Central Asia’s Turkic states, likely as part of an overall strategy to minimize Baku’s susceptibility to pressure from the United States and European Union over its poor rights record. In a speech shortly after he secured another presidential term in February, Aliyev announced:…