BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 29
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Preservation and development of good-neighborly relations based on mutual interests are priority of Azerbaijan's foreign policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said in its statement summing up results of 2021, Trend reports.
According to the statement, at the end of the year, contacts were continued at the highest level with such countries as Turkey, Russia, Iran, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, in many cases, specific projects were implemented.
The visit of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Azerbaijan (June 15-16 and October 26, 2021), including to the territories liberated from Armenian occupation [in the 2020 second Karabakh war], and the signing of the Shusha Declaration were significant events of the year, the statement emphasized.
"Also, meetings of prime ministers, speakers of parliaments, ministers of foreign affairs, ministers of defense and other government officials of the two countries were organized. Three trilateral meetings were held with the participation of the president of Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia on January 11, 2021 in Moscow and November 26, 2021 in Sochi. At the end of the year, Azerbaijan was visited by the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Russia. Meetings of the Joint Azerbaijani-Russian Commission on Demarcation and the 19th meeting of the Intergovernmental State Commission on Economic Cooperation were held," the statement further said.
Besides, according to the statement, efforts were made to support good neighborly relations with Iran.
"Meeting of the heads of Azerbaijan and Iran within the framework of the 15th Summit of the Organization of Economic Cooperation, which took place on November 27-28 in Ashgabat, made a contribution to the development of bilateral relations between the two countries. Within the framework of the meeting, "Agreement defining conditions of transit of natural gas through Iran” was signed. Meetings of foreign ministers of two countries were organized. On December 22, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hussein Amir Abdollahian paid his first official visit to Azerbaijan,” the statement said.
“Cooperation with Georgia has developed sufficiently broadly and on a stable basis. Mutual visits of the officials of both countries, including visits of the Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili to Azerbaijan and the Ministers of Defense and Culture of Azerbaijan to Georgia, took place. On September 29, the 8th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission with the participation of the prime minister of Georgia was held in Baku,” the statement said.
“Relations with Kazakhstan continued on the basis of mutual respect and friendship. On June 21, Deputy Prime Minister – Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi visited Azerbaijan. Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Bakhyt Sultanov took part in the 17th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission, which took place on September 9 in Baku,” the statement pointed out.
“In 2021, our relations with Turkmenistan also continued on the basis of mutual respect. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov visited Turkmenistan and within the framework of the visit on January 21, 2021 a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of Turkmenistan on joint exploration, development and development of hydrocarbon resources of the Dostlug field in the Caspian Sea was signed. The meeting of the heads of two countries in Ashgabat within the framework of the 15th Summit of the Organization of Economic Cooperation made a contribution to the development of bilateral relations,” the statement added.
“In 2021, trilateral cooperation was continued. The 2nd tripartite meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan was held in Islamabad on January 13, 2021, and the 5th tripartite meeting of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan - on February 23, 2021 in Ankara," concluded the ministry’s statement.