Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks in Baku, where the Russian diplomat arrived on a working visit on February 27. He will also meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov.
Aliyev's statements on the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlementDuring the meeting, the President of Azerbaijan expressed hope that this year will be a year of progress in the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku. He pointed to the special role played by Moscow in the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization. He recalled a substantial effort was made in this direction, and documents defining the conceptual nature of the future peace agreement, namely the mutual recognition of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the two countries, were adopted.
The head of state explained that the documents that were adopted in Prague and Sochi in October serve as the foundation for reaching a peace treaty.
"In any case, we are determined to do positive and constructive work together with the Armenian side and our friend and neighbor, Russia, to quickly turn the page of this hostility and return peace to the South Caucasus," Ilham Aliyev said.
He also expressed confidence that the visit will be positive.
Ilham Aliyev on Russia-Azerbaijan ties
Speaking about Russian-Azerbaijani relations, Ilham Aliyev pointed out that last year was marked by the very dynamic nature of engagement, there were several meetings at the presidential level, visits by the heads of governments and parliaments of our countries, as well as visits by other officials, which shows that relations are fully developing. He added that critical issues are being addressed, and they have gotten off to a good start in 2023.
In addition, the president stressed the pre-coronavirus dynamic of mutual visits between the citizens of Russia and Azerbaijan is being recovered, saying that 135 flights are performed between the countries every week.
"This record figure indicates that citizens of our countries are visiting each other with great pleasure," Ilham Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani head of state also clarified that Baku expects the parties to make serious mutual steps in the fields of traditional interaction - political dialogue, energy, transport, trade, humanitarian cooperation and alliance, which they need to bring to the level of interaction.
The Russian Foreign Minister, in turn, said that regional security remains a very relevant topic in our bilateral and multilateral relations.
He recalled that many international colleagues, including those located far from this region, are showing great interest in creating conditions for progress in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"As President Putin has repeatedly said, we welcome all efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation and creating conditions for all countries located in this region to have the opportunity to cooperate in the interests of their countries and peoples based on mutual respect and mutual benefit," Sergei Lavrov stressed.
Russian minister praises Moscow-Baku cooperation
Speaking about the trade turnover, Lavrov recalled that it is reaching record levels and this is not the limit, as several mega-projects that will be not only bilateral but also regional and even global in substance are currently being prepared.
The Foreign Minister added that many of Moscow and Baku partners are interested in these projects
"And this shows how promising the interaction with the participation of Russia and Azerbaijan as leaders of this region is," the Russian minister said.
Lavrov's visit to Baku
Today, the Russian diplomat has arrived on a working two-day visit to the capital of Azerbaijan. Lavrov’s visit is timed to the first anniversary of the bilateral declaration on allied cooperation, which was signed on February 22, 2022.
During his stay in Azerbaijan, Lavrov will address the entire spectrum of bilateral issues, current international and regional problems, including post-war normalization between Baku and Yerevan.
The Russian top diplomat is also expected to have talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov.
