We think that it is time to catch up with missed opportunities and establish a strategic partnership, Kazakbayev said after meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.

The Kyrgyz official relied on the creation of a platform in the 5+3 format to include all the countries in the area.

His idea would integrate Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, along with Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, all former republics of the former Soviet Union, and therefore with a common past.

Kazakbayev added that Azerbaijan in particular is one of Kyrgyzstan’s major partners, and recalled the legacy of the founder of modern Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev.

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