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AzerNEWS Staff

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The Second Azerbaijan-UK Policy Forum has been held in London, bringing together nearly 70 diplomats, politicians, parliamentarians, academics, researchers, students, business representatives and other public figures from both countries.

The forum was organised with the support of ADA University, bp, the British Embassy in Baku and the Azerbaijani Embassy in the UK.

The opening session featured speeches by Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the UK, Elin Suleymanov; Bob Blackman, a member of the UK House of Commons and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Azerbaijan; Lord Wajid Khan, a member of the House of Lords and former minister in the Labour government; and Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, bp's Vice President for Communications and External Affairs in the Caspian region. British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Norman Duncan also addressed participants via video message.

In his remarks, Ambassador Suleymanov said that relations between Azerbaijan and the UK had stood the test of time, adding that the decision to elevate ties to the level of a strategic partnership was a natural continuation of their longstanding and trusted cooperation.

He also noted that the UK Minister of State for Foreign Affairs was the first European official to visit Azerbaijan following the historic Washington Summit of August 8, 2025. According to Suleymanov, this demonstrated Britain's support for the normalisation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He thanked the British side for its understanding of the realities in the region.

In his video message, Ambassador Norman Duncan highlighted the importance of holding the forum at a time when the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the UK was gaining momentum and opening up opportunities for deeper cooperation across various sectors. He also stressed that the normalisation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the resulting prospects for regional peace and stability, were creating favourable conditions for further cooperation.

Bob Blackman underlined Azerbaijan's importance to the UK in areas including trade, energy, security and connectivity. He also spoke about his continued efforts to promote Azerbaijan's geopolitical significance in the British Parliament. Recalling his visits to Azerbaijan, he mentioned his 2023 trip, during which he had the opportunity to observe demining operations in the liberated territories. In this regard, he called on the UK to continue supporting mine action efforts in Azerbaijan.

Lord Wajid Khan, a Labour Party member of the House of Lords and a member of the Parliamentary Group on Azerbaijan, said one of the most important things he had observed about Azerbaijan was its commitment to fulfilling its promises.

He noted that while many countries were discussing the green transition, Azerbaijan was taking concrete steps and implementing projects in this area, as well as successfully hosting COP29. Referring to recent visits to Azerbaijan by UK Minister of State for Defence Lord Coaker and Minister of State for Trade Lord Anas Sarwar, he stressed the considerable potential for further cooperation between the two countries.

Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli spoke about joint projects in traditional and renewable energy, noting that Azerbaijan-UK relations had successfully evolved over more than three decades despite changing regional and global circumstances.

The speakers also thanked Fariz Ismayilzade, a member of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis and Chair of the Azerbaijan-UK Interparliamentary Working Group, for his contribution to organising the event.

Following the opening session, the forum continued with panel discussions.

The first panel, moderated by Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Board of the Center of Analysis of International Relations and Multiculturalism, focused on bilateral relations in the context of regional security.

Participants included former UK MP and CEO of Better Earth Limited Nigel Adams; former British Ambassador and Senior Adviser at the Caspian Policy Center David Moran; Emma Edhem, Alderman of the City of London Corporation; Parvina Huseynova, Director of Realstrategic Consulting; and Orkhan Amashov, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AnewZ.

The discussion covered how geopolitical developments, demand for critical minerals, the C6 cooperation format linking Azerbaijan and Central Asia, the Middle Corridor, and the evolving defence and security environment are shaping Azerbaijan-UK relations.

The second panel, featuring experts from XLinks, the Green Energy Corridor Company (GECO) and the Green Corridor Alliance, focused on the evolution of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UK, with particular attention to regional interconnector initiatives.

During the closing session, Gunel Salimova, Counsellor at the Azerbaijani Embassy in the UK, and Nargiz Ismayilova, Head of Partnerships at ADA University's Institute for Development and Diplomacy, highlighted the forum's role as a platform for discussing various aspects of bilateral relations.