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Abu Dhabi and Baku establish Twin City partnership
The agreement sets out a commitment by Abu Dhabi and the Baku City Executive Power to enhance quality of life and advance sustainability-led urban development.
At a glance
Who: Abu Dhabi and the Baku City Executive Power.
What: Abu Dhabi and the Baku City Executive Power have signed a Twin City agreement to deepen cooperation across urban planning, mobility, public transport and green infrastructure initiatives.
Why: It sets out a commitment by both sides to enhance quality of life and advance sustainability-led urban development.
When: The partnership is ongoing now.
Abu Dhabi and the Baku City Executive Power have signed a Twin City agreement to deepen cooperation across urban planning, mobility, public transport and green infrastructure initiatives.
The new agreement was signed as part of the UAE capital city’s Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) delegation visit to Azerbaijan. It sets out a commitment by both sides to enhance quality of life and advance sustainability-led urban development.
Mobility transformation programme
The signing followed high-level engagements with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Digital Development and Transport and the Ayna Transport Authority, as well as technical site visits to key infrastructure projects in the capital. Together, the intention was to showcase the city’s “rapid progress in delivering an ambitious, data-driven mobility transformation programme”.
Under the Twin City framework, both cities will collaborate on mobility transformation, digital twin and traffic operations, and other aspects of urban planning. It also encourages participation in exhibitions and events, benchmark studies between relevant institutions, and knowledge exchange in various aspects of city management.
The accord establishes clear governance mechanisms with shared key performance indicators, enabling each city to track progress and scale successful initiatives across their respective urban environments.
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Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of DMT, said: “This partnership reflects the close friendship between our countries and our shared vision for shaping liveable, future-ready cities. Through this agreement, we will leverage collective expertise to drive meaningful long-term progress.
“In similar global partnerships, we have demonstrated that collaboration accelerates innovation and enhances quality of life.”
The visiting group also assessed White City, a flagship project within Baku’s Master Plan 2040, to better understand how land-use policy and redevelopment align with mobility infrastructure.
“This partnership reflects the close friendship between our countries and our shared vision for shaping liveable, future-ready cities”
The twinning relationship builds on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership (Cepa) and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the UAE and Azerbaijan, announced in February this year. The UAE accounts for 50 per cent of Azerbaijan’s trade with the GCC, with the Cepa agreement expected to contribute $680m to the nation’s GDP and $300m to the Azerbaijani economy by 2031.
Abu Dhabi has established other strategic alliances with Shenzhen, where a twinning agreement was signed in January 2024, and Brisbane, where a sister city relationship has been in place for more than 15 years.
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