Cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan has continued to develop steadily in recent years, APA reports.
Mutual events in the fields of culture and arts have made an important contribution to expanding ties between the two countries.
Uzbekistan Culture Days were held in Azerbaijan in 2023 and 2025, while Uzbekistan's Days of Science and Culture were organized in 2024. The same year, Azerbaijan Culture Days were held in Uzbekistan, along with "Shusha Days" in the city of Khiva.
During a visit to Azerbaijan by Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan, in 2024, a ballet performance was presented and an exhibition jointly prepared with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was inaugurated. First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva also attended the opening of the exhibition at the Heydar Aliyev Center.
One of the symbols of the historical and friendly relations between the two countries is Heydar Aliyev Square in Tashkent. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the square's opening ceremony in 2022.
Cooperation in education has also expanded. During the 2025/2026 academic year, nearly 70 Uzbek citizens studied in Azerbaijan, while around 180 Azerbaijani citizens studied in Uzbekistan.
One of the significant examples of humanitarian cooperation is the Mirzo Ulugbek School, built in Fuzuli at Uzbekistan's initiative. The school has a capacity of 960 students and includes 40 classrooms, six laboratories, two computer rooms, five specialized classrooms, assembly and sports halls, a cafeteria and a library.
The school was inaugurated in 2023, and 583 students attended it during the 2025/2026 academic year.
Media cooperation has also entered a new stage. The first Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan Media Forum was held in Tashkent in 2024, followed by the second Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Media Forum in Baku in 2025.
Ties between non-governmental organizations are also developing. The first Cooperation Forum of Azerbaijani and Uzbek NGOs was held in Fuzuli in 2023, while the second forum took place in Tashkent in 2024.
As a practical result of this cooperation, the two countries announced their first joint grant competition for NGOs in 2026. Under the competition's terms, winning Azerbaijani projects will be implemented in Uzbekistan, while winning Uzbek projects will be carried out in Azerbaijan.
At the same time, ties between the regions of the two countries have intensified, with sister-city relations expanding. Partnerships have been established between Baku and Tashkent, Ismayilli and Rishtan, Shusha and Khiva, Lankaran and Bukhara, Shaki and Kokand, Bilasuvar and Termez, Mingachevir and Namangan, Fuzuli and Gulistan, Guba and Jizzakh, and Beylagan and Shahrisabz.
Decisions have also been made to establish sister-city relations between Urgench and Nakhchivan, Urgench and Khankendi, and Bukhara and Lachin.
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