Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 15:00)
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 13
Trend:
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow June 13.
The presidents delivered speeches at the meeting. Vladimir Putin welcomed Ilham Aliyev.
“I hope you will spend quality time in Moscow and you will enjoy it,” Putin said.
“The tournament [2018 FIFA World Cup Russia] will be amazing," he added. "A lot of our colleagues have arrived from very many countries, and there is opportunity to talk with everyone, meet and make new acquaintances, as well as exchange information on current affairs with our closest colleagues in the CIS.”
“As for our bilateral relations, we will thoroughly discuss them and will also do this on August 30 during your visit to Russia,” the Russian president told Ilham Aliyev. “But before that our colleagues will work and prepare your visit to Russia.”
“It is safe to say right now that our relations are developing very successfully,” Putin said. “Over the last year, our trade turnover grew 34.4 percent; in the first quarter of this year it increased by almost 19 percent. That is, this is a very good pace, and we need to maintain it.”
Touching upon the Azerbaijan-Russia relations in the political sphere, Putin added that the two parliaments, as well as public organizations of the two countries, are in a constant contact and humanitarian ties are developing.
In turn, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev thanked the Russian president and congratulated him on the state holiday, Russia Day, which was celebrated June 12.
“I would also like to congratulate you on the successful completion of the preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,” Ilham Aliyev said. “This is the main sporting event in the world. I am sure the World Cup will be held very successfully and all guests will be satisfied.”
“As for our relations, I would also like to express my satisfaction with their development,” he noted. “I would like to thank you for the invitation to visit Russia at the end of August. Today, there is also good opportunity to exchange views on the current issues on our agenda, which is quite extensive.”
“I think that our permanent regular contacts give great impetus to the development of our relations, and we see good results,” Ilham Aliyev said. “Our political interaction is at a very high level, we are reliable friends and strategic partners. As you noted, the dynamics is very positive in the economic sphere this year and it was very positive last year as well. There are plans to expand economic cooperation. We see concrete results in the North-South Transport Corridor project’s implementation, the cargo flow from Russia through Azerbaijan is growing, and this is also a positive result of our activity. I believe that our relations are exemplary in general in all spheres. So, I am glad that we have good dynamics, good results and look forward to strengthening our ties in the future. Thank you once again for the invitation.”