Baku committed to keep effective, successful development of ties with Moscow
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijan and Russia have focused on the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields during the Russian foreign minister's visit to Baku.
President Ilham Aliyev received Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on September 1.
Noting the dynamic and successful development of bilateral relations between the two countries, President Aliyev said Azerbaijan highly appreciates the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Azerbaijan to attend the opening ceremony of the first European Games on Russia’s national holiday - the Day of Russia, and regarded it as the high-level relations.
Emphasizing that the issues related to effective cooperation are solved quickly and effectively, the president noted the importance of mutual visits at various levels.
Highlighting Azerbaijan and Russia’s active and successful cooperation within the framework of international organizations, President Aliyev noted the importance of regular consultations held between the two countries at present, when the events in the world and the region are rapidly developing.
“This is the best indicator of the strategic partnership between our countries, which already covers almost all spheres of our life, including cooperation in the political, economic, energy and humanitarian spheres. We are committed to continuing the effective and successful development of our bilateral relations,” the president said.
Lavrov, for his part, conveyed the warmest greetings of President Putin to the Azerbaijani president.
“The Russian president recalls with satisfaction his participation in the opening ceremony of the first European Games and a meeting with you during the visit. Azerbaijan and Russia are strategic partners in the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea basin, and in general, we have very close positions on all important and acute problems of international relations,” the Russian foreign minister said.
Lavrov further noted that the Russian side highly appreciates the importance of discussions between the foreign ministries of the two countries, the issues of interaction between two states within the framework of the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and other international organizations, adding that inter-parliamentary cooperation is also developing successfully.
Touching upon the various spheres of bilateral relations, the Russian official thanked the president for the excellent organization of the visit of three warships from Russia’s Caspian flotilla to Azerbaijan.
“We hope that our Azerbaijani friends will take part in the exhibition of military-technical products, which will be held in the Sverdlovsk region in September this year,” he added.
Stressing the successful development of bilateral relations in the humanitarian sphere, including in the fields of education and culture, Lavrov noted that cooperation in these areas further enhances the close relationship between the two nations.
Speaking about issues of economic cooperation, the Russian minister said despite the international situation, these relationships are on the rise.
He emphasized in this regard the importance of the intergovernmental state commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia.
Praising the growth of the supply of Azerbaijani agricultural products to Russia, Lavrov said he highly appreciates the decision taken by the Azerbaijani side to increase international cargo transportation using Russian transport companies.
Lavrov also expressed hope for some progress in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Earlier, the Russian minister called for the intensification of negotiations. Russia is one of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, engaged in a peaceful settlement of the ongoing conflict.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, the Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France, and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group have been largely fruitless so far despite the efforts of the co-chairing countries over the past 20 years.
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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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