The Central Asian region has redrawn its political and economic map after key events over the past 24 hours. As Kazakhstan concluded its historic first elections for its new unicameral parliament, neighboring Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan officially moved from a strategic partnership to an epochal alliance for eternal friendship, accompanied by a plan to urgently launch a joint merchant fleet in the Caspian Sea.
Tokayev’s Reforms: New “Adilet” Party Leads in Kazakhstan’s Parliamentary Elections
In Kazakhstan, the wave of political transformation reached its peak on August 23, 2026, with the holding of the first elections for the Kurultay - the new unicameral legislature created after a major constitutional reform initiated by President Kassam-Jomart Tokayev. The change to the basic law, which came into force on July 1, completely abolished the old bicameral system (Senate and Majilis).
According to the first published data from exit polls by authoritative sociological agencies in the country, the new pro-presidential political force „Adilet“ is the clear winner in the elections, collecting over 65-70% of the votes. A total of seven parties, all supporting the current political course of Astana, fought for the distribution of the 145 seats in the Kurultaya, with the entry barrier being 5%. Independent candidates were not allowed to participate. According to the independent section of the Russian media company BBC (bbc.com/russian/articles/cddj15zgzlgo), international human rights organizations note the lack of pronounced systemic opposition in the ballots, but the authorities argue for the reform with the need for a faster legislative process in conditions of geopolitical turbulence. The Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan is expected to announce the first official interim results today, the agency reported. Meduza (meduza.io/news/2026/08/23/v-kazahstane-nachalis-parlamentskie-vybory).
Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan sign Treaty of Eternal Friendship and $1 Billion Ambition
Simultaneously with Election Day in Kazakhstan, the historic third session of the Supreme Interstate Council was held in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed „Treaty of Eternal Friendship and Alliance“.
According to representatives of the administration of the two leaders, this is an unprecedented step that officially strengthens the Turkic brotherhood between Baku and Tashkent at the highest legal level. The document provides for full coordination of foreign policy and joint investment plans, including the banking sector, the automotive industry, tourism and energy. The countries also adopted a large-scale program to increase bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2030. As reported by the news agency Interfax (interfax.ru/world/1110821), during the state visit the leaders exchanged the highest state awards and launched dozens of joint business initiatives, including the construction of large-scale resort complexes in Uzbekistan.
Pressure on the Caspian Sea: Mirziyoyev called for an accelerated launch of the joint fleet
The most important practical emphasis of the summit turned out to be logistics along the strategic “Middle Corridor“ (the Trans-Caspian international transport route). Uzbekistan, which geographically has no direct access to the world ocean, officially called on Azerbaijan to maximally accelerate the launch of the joint merchant fleet in the Caspian Sea and the implementation of a single logistics operator.
„Serious tasks lie ahead of our transport ministers. Within the framework of the development of the Middle Corridor, it is necessary to accelerate the launch of the joint Caspian flotilla. We need to accelerate this process“, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the council, quoted by the specialized military-political portal Armiya.az (armiya.az/ru/news/257203).
The new joint venture will unite the resources of state operators “Uztemiryulkargo“ and “Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company“. The initiative aims to completely bypass the traditional and risky northern routes, ensuring cheap, safe and fast transit of Asian and Central Asian goods to Europe. Analysts quoted by the pan-European news channel Euronews (ru.euronews.com/2026/08/23/uzbekistan-i-azerbajdzhan-ukreplyayut-soyuz-cel-v-1-mlrd-i-razvitie-transkaspijskih-svyaze), add that the new geoeconomic reality is turning the Caspian Sea into a key arena of global economic cooperation between East and West.