BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 21. I do believe that our meeting in Astana (with President Xi Jinping - ed.) and the joint declaration adopted as a result are a historic event that ushers a new page in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations, said President Ilham Aliyev in an exclusive interview with China's Xinhua, Trend reports.
"The Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China” was adopted within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Astana on July 3, 2024. The Declaration emphasizes that, since the establishment of diplomatic relations on April 2, 1992, our bilateral cooperation has brought about many fruitful results. At the same time, we agreed to further expand this cooperation, strengthen our interaction in international affairs, jointly safeguard the common interests of the two countries, and jointly advance the cause of regional and global peace, stability and development.
We jointly declared that our strategic partnership would rest on such fundamental principles of bilateral relations as mutual respect, equality, trust, mutual support, mutual benefit and cooperation. In the Declaration, we also reaffirmed that we are priority and reliable partners who treat each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity with due respect, pursuing an independent foreign policy based on the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and peaceful coexistence.
I do believe that our meeting in Astana and the joint declaration adopted as a result are a historic event that ushers a new page in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations. Speaking at the bilateral meeting with President of China Xi Jinping, I noted that the adopted Declaration officially turns China and Azerbaijan into strategic partners, which is a great achievement and also a great responsibility. During our meeting in Astana, I was invited to pay a state visit to China, and I was pleased to accept the invitation. I also invited the President of China to visit our country at a convenient time. I am convinced that such an exchange of high-level visits will give additional impetus to the process of deepening our interstate relations," said President Ilham Aliyev.