Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Baku. The visit of Mr. Lavrov is timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation, signed in Moscow on February 22, 2022. During the meeting, the Russian minister announced the development of several joint megaprojects, the President of Azerbaijan, in turn, announced the restoration of the pre-covid dynamics of mutual visits of citizens of both countries.
“Undoubtedly, the trade turnover – a characteristic of our economic cooperation – is reaching a record level. As you discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, several mega-projects are being developed that will have not only a bilateral, but also a regional, and somewhere even a global character, ”— declared Sergei Lavrov, noting that many partners of Russia and Azerbaijan are showing interest in these projects.
Mr. Aliyev noted that the pre-coronavirus dynamics of mutual visits of citizens of our countries is being restored. “A clear evidence of this is that – today I was provided with information – there are 135 flights of Russian and Azerbaijani air carriers a week,” said Ilham Aliyev.
He also expressed hope that 2023 will be a breakthrough year in the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, recalling that important efforts were made in this direction last year. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, for his part, noted that many international colleagues are showing a keen interest in promoting progress towards this settlement.
“In any case, we are determined to work positively and constructively with the Armenian side, with the Russian side as our friend and neighbor, in order to quickly turn this page of hostility and return peace to the South Caucasus,” the President of Azerbaijan said.
On November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan and Armenia, mediated by Russia, signed a trilateral agreement to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 26, 2022, they agreed to work together to improve the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Read more about the Minister’s visit in the article “Sergey Lavrov will count allies.”
