Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Mexico's Independence Day was solemnly celebrated in Baku on September 15 by the country’s Embassy in Azerbaijan.

This is the second time that the capital city hosts the event. Mexico had struggled for its independence for 11 years old. Officially, the country's independence was proclaimed on September 29 1821. "Viva Mexico" or "Viva la independencia” are shouted amidst the crowds on this day -- the word that Hidalgo, one of the nation’s leaders during the War of Independence in Mexico, shout to call people to revolt.

Mexico's ambassador to Azerbaijan Rodrigo Labardini, addressed the event, saying that Mexico and Azerbaijan are the main countries in their regions, adding that the states have great tourism potential.

Labardini informed the guests that Mexico is one of the 10 most visited countries in the world. He recalled that the Mexican embassy in Baku currently issues visas and that facilitated the visit to the country.

Touching upon the ties between the two states, the ambassador said that they are developing steadily.

Labardini further said that the second round of political consultations between Mexico and Azerbaijan, in order to promote bilateral relations, is scheduled for the next week.

He added that Azerbaijani businessmen will visit Mexico in November to establish commercial relations.

Azerbaijan and Mexico are the commercial and logistic hubs in their respective regions, according to the diplomat.

Mentioning that both counties have natural links -- they both produce oil and gas, the ambassador emphasized that Azerbaijan and Mexico have close ties not only in this sector. “The two sides are also cooperating in education sphere, and a number of Azerbaijani citizens are already studying in Mexico and have a Mexican scholarship, he said.

The trade turnover between the two countries increased by 208 percent to $ 22 million in 2015.

Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Labardini noted that Mexico calls for the implementation of the UN resolutions on this issue, which clearly refers to the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Mexico recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

Azerbaijan's Embassy in Mexico opened in 2006. Diplomatic representation of Mexico was established in Azerbaijan in 2014.

Baku attaches great importance to the development of relations with Mexico. Relations are actively developing in all directions, including in culture.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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