23 September 2026 | 18:20

READING: 2 minutes

The exchange between the removal of Alisher Usmanov — a tycoon seen as close to Vladimir Putin and also to Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev — from European Union sanctions and the release of a group of French nationals from Azerbaijani prisons, notably Martin Ryan, a businessman sentenced to ten years for espionage, signals the growing ties between Tashkent and Baku. This reflects a new Central Asian alliance extended to Azerbaijan, which serves as a bridge to the South Caucasus and therefore to Europe.

“What does Azerbaijan have to do with Usmanov? There will certainly be business dealings, investments and other points of intersection. But it is not clear why Usmanov is so important to Ilham Aliyev as to explain why Azerbaijan negotiated with Paris on his behalf,” said political scientist Galiya Ibragimova, an Uzbek freelance journalist and analyst, in an interview with Ekho.

It is clear, however, that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan — the country where Usmanov was born and to which he returned to live after being sanctioned — are drawing closer, reinforcing Usmanov’s already strong ties with Mirziyoyev. That relationship had been cemented by the marriage between the tycoon’s grandson Babur (who died in a car accident in 2013) and Mirziyoyev’s granddaughter, Diora. Usmanov is considered “the most powerful Uzbek oligarch.” Shortly, joint military exercises called “Power of Unity” are also planned in Azerbaijan with Turkey participating.

The presidents exchange visits regularly and publicly describe relations between their countries as almost fraternal. Last August in Tashkent, Aliyev signed a Treaty of Eternal Friendship with Mirziyoyev. Trade and investment between the two countries are growing rapidly.

Azerbaijan participates in the consultative meetings of the Presidents of Central Asian countries — a format that expanded from C5 to C6 last November — which is taking shape as a regional community and which, with its extension to the South Caucasus, opens a path toward Europe. This also raises the possibility that the exchange, criticized by Ukrainian and European figures as a negative shock to the sanctions regime against Russia, could mean something more.