BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 8. A delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov visited the Republic of Moldova on April 6-7, 2023, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend.
During the visit, political consultations were held between the ministries of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan and Moldova and bilateral meetings with Moldovan state officials.
The Azerbaijani side was represented at the consultations by Khalafov, and the Moldovan side - by Deputy Foreign and European Integration Minister Ruslan Bolbochan.
During the consultations, issues of developing cooperation in the trade, economic, humanitarian, agricultural, energy and investment fields, as well as organizing high-level mutual visits were discussed.
The parties emphasized the need for ongoing political dialogue, noting the importance of strengthening interaction between the two countries in international and regional organizations such as the UN, the Council of Europe, OSCE, BSEC (Black Sea Economic Cooperation), and GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova).
A significant increase in trade turnover between the countries over the past year was noted, the presence of greater potential in this area, and the possibilities of expanding the legal framework were discussed.
During the visit, Khalafov held bilateral meetings with Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Igor Grosu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova Nicu Popescu, Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova for Reintegration Oleg Serebryan, Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Moldova Andrei Spinu, Advisor to the President on Foreign Policy Affairs Cristina Gerasimova, and State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of Moldova Sergei Gercu.
During the meetings, the importance of strengthening traditional friendly ties between Azerbaijan and Moldova was emphasized, and exchange of opinions on the regional situation, cooperation within international organizations and other issues of mutual interest was held.
Meetings between the officials of the two countries in recent years, and the importance of continuing the current trend in this direction were noted.
Besides, satisfaction was expressed with the achievement of relations between Azerbaijan and Moldova at the level of strategic partnership.
The Moldovan side was informed in detail about the efforts and steps taken by Azerbaijan to implement the peace agenda in the South Caucasus region, the restoration and construction work carried out in the Azerbaijani liberated territories, ongoing projects for the return of internally displaced persons to their native lands, as well as steps to reintegrate the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh into the legal, economic and social environment of the country.
At the meetings, the importance of the activities of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Moldova was emphasized.
An exchange of views took place on projects that can be implemented in the direction of investing in the agricultural sector, and establishing joint ventures for export.
During the visit, Khalafov took part in the opening ceremony of the exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the great leader Heydar Aliyev at the National Museum of the History of Moldova and delivered a speech at the event.
During his visit to the country, the deputy minister also met with compatriots in Moldova, and activists of the Congress of Moldovan Azerbaijanis.