It is a great honour to take part in the meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, which is an important international venue today for discussing topical global issues related to the modern world order, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
President Aliyev made the remarks at the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani presidential press-service.
“Of course, thank you for this meeting,” the president said. “As you have noted, we have not met for some time, four months, to be exact. This is quite a lot, considering the intensity of our contacts. Last year we held four meetings, which played a very positive role and gave a good boost to the development of our relations, which we characterise as a strategic partnership.”
“I would also like to note the positive dynamics in trade and the economy,” he added. “Our bilateral trade has been growing both last year and this year. According to our data, trade was up 20 percent by August. The implementation of the roadmaps you and I have adopted will result in closer interaction, integration and cooperation in all areas.”
“For us, Russia is a very important partner, friend, and good neighbour,” the Azerbaijani president said. “We highly value these relations. I am sure that today’s discussion will make a solid contribution to the further development of our ties. Once again, thank you very much for the invitation.”
