Baku: Azerbaijan firmly supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty

17 September 2020 12:10 (UTC+04:00)

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By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijan firmly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said on 17 September in its official Facebook page.

"We appreciate that Azerbaijan has been identified as one of the strategic partners of Ukraine in the new national security concept. We are resolved to further deepen our strategic partnership and friendship with Ukraine," the minitry further said.

It should be noted that on September 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to endorse the National Security Strategy of the country. The strategy included Azerbaijan in the list of strategic partner states for Ukraine.

According to the document, Turkey, Georgia and Lithuania are also strategic partners for Ukraine.

Earlier in July, Kyiv voiced support to Baku over Armenia’s cross-border military provocation near Azerbaijan’s Tovuz region that killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen and a civilian.

Azerbaijan’s support for Ukraine is not new. On 28 July, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also expressed its firm support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. It was said in the statement that "Azerbaijan takes note of the agreement of July 22, 2020, reached by the Trilateral Contact Group."

Ukraine and Azerbaijan also reaffirmed their support for each other’s territorial integrity and the inviolability of their borders during the meeting held between First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Amina Dzhaparova and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Elmira Akhundova on July 3.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan has backed Ukraine over Russia’s annexation in 2014 of Ukrainian region of Crimea.

The two countries are also economic partners. Ukraine is Azerbaijan’s second largest trade turnover partner among CIS countries, with a trade turnover worth $555 million during the reporting period.

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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97