Uzbekistan refutes claims of joining Turkey-Azerbaijan military alliance

Several foreign media outlets and Telegram channels had reported that Uzbekistan had allegedly joined the Shusha Declaration, a bilateral agreement signed by Azerbaijan and Turkey, which outlines allied relations and mutual military assistance in the event of external aggression.

One such report came from Azerbaijani broadcaster CBC TV, which aired a segment on May 23 on YouTube, stating: "Uzbekistan’s signing of the agreement on allied relations with Azerbaijan and its accession to the Shusha Declaration should be taken literally. This marks the formation of a military alliance between Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. The concept of a ‘military alliance’ entails mutual support in case of external threats."

The same report claimed that Turkey is increasingly positioning itself as a security coordinator in the Turkic world and is strengthening defense ties with Central Asian states.

However, in a comment to Kun.uz, the spokesperson for Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry, Akhror Burkhanov, clarified that Uzbekistan is not a party to the Shusha Declaration:

"Uzbekistan is not a participant in the Shusha Declaration signed on June 15, 2021, in the city of Shusha between Azerbaijan and Turkey. This is an exclusively bilateral document aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries. There is no official source or evidence confirming Uzbekistan’s involvement in any defense alliance with Turkey and Azerbaijan under this declaration."

Burkhanov emphasized that the information disseminated by Azerbaijani media is "completely untrue."

It is worth noting that on May 19, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a law ratifying the Agreement on Allied Relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The document had been signed earlier, on August 23, 2024, in Tashkent during the official visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The full text of the Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan alliance agreement has not yet been made public. According to Foreign Ministry officials, such intergovernmental agreements are not subject to disclosure.

Background: The Shusha Declaration is a bilateral strategic document signed on June 15, 2021, by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. It elevates relations between the two nations to the level of an alliance and provides for cooperation in political, military, economic, cultural, and humanitarian areas. It also includes a provision for mutual military assistance in the event of a threat from third-party states.