Baku and Riyadh identify a new agenda

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady, the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, have arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on an official visit. The head of Azerbaijan held talks for the first time with the new King of Saudi Arabia Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere and was dedicated to the development of cooperation between the two countries.

Ilham Aliyev and King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud discussed prospects of expansion of contacts in the oil and gas, agricultural and tourism industries at the state level and the level of private business, as well as mutual investments. The two leaders stressed the importance of mutual understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation, The King said that Saudi Arabia supports peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Ilham Aliyev also held talks with Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al-Assaf and the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ali Al-Naimi. They were talking with Al-Assaf about the implementation of joint projects in the economy, infrastructure and the social sphere, with Al-Naimi - about the activities of Arabian companies in Azerbaijan as investors and contractors.

A member of the Azerbaijani parliament, a political analyst Rasim Musabekov, said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza that Baku is interested in maintaining a close, trusting relationship with Riyadh. "Saudi Arabia is a powerful, authoritative state, which has huge financial resources. Like Azerbaijan, it exports oil, but it also determines the prices on the international market. It is also a center for the Muslim world. So Ilham Aliyev's visit to Riyadh is quite natural. Especially given what is happening in the Middle East," he said.

 

The head of the Center for Oil Research, Ilham Shaban, in his turn, noted that Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia have virtually unexplored potential for cooperation in the economic sphere. "The interaction between our economies has prospects: Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia are oil-exporting countries, so we have similar interests in the global market. The cooperation between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia in the first place should be provided along this line," Shaban said, adding that in previous years Baku and Riyadh almost didn't develop economic relations.Professor of the Western University, political scientist Fikret Sadykhov, drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijan has always maintained relations with the leading Arab states at the highest political level. "The current visit of President Ilham Aliyev fits into the framework of these relations. Saudi Arabia has interest in Azerbaijan: we are united by common projects, both countries provide energy security in the region and beyond. This visit is very important in the light of these new factors that emerged after the so-called 'Arab Spring', as well as after the recent agreement between the 5+1 Group plus Iran. In addition, it will strengthen the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia," Sadykhov concluded.

The head of the Center for Oil Research, Ilham Shaban, in his turn, noted that Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia have virtually unexplored potential for cooperation in the economic sphere. "The interaction between our economies has prospects: Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia are oil-exporting countries, so we have similar interests in the global market. The cooperation between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia in the first place should be provided along this line," Shaban said, adding that in previous years Baku and Riyadh almost didn't develop economic relations.

Professor of the Western University, political scientist Fikret Sadykhov, drew attention to the fact that Azerbaijan has always maintained relations with the leading Arab states at the highest political level. "The current visit of President Ilham Aliyev fits into the framework of these relations. Saudi Arabia has interest in Azerbaijan: we are united by common projects, both countries provide energy security in the region and beyond. This visit is very important in the light of these new factors that emerged after the so-called 'Arab Spring', as well as after the recent agreement between the 5+1 Group plus Iran. In addition, it will strengthen the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia," Sadykhov concluded.