President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today met with Minister of State of the United Kingdom Alan Duncan.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked for the UK Prime Minister Theresa May's message of congratulation in connection with today`s ceremony in Baku. The head of state hailed Theresa May's kind words about the bilateral relations between the two countries. President Ilham Aliyev described the UK`s high-level representation in the ceremony as indicative of great importance that the UK government attaches to the event.

Hailing the signing of the contract as a historical event, the head of state called it a contract of the new century.

President Ilham Aliyev praised successful development of Azerbaijan-UK cooperation, saying bilateral relations between the two countries cover many areas, including oil and gas sector.

The UK Minister of State Alan Duncan hailed the political and economic ties between the two countries. He said Azerbaijan and the UK demonstrate that they are reliable partners. Minister of State Alan Duncan underlined favorable opportunities for developing cooperation between the two countries in the non-oil sector too.

The UK Minister of State described the signing of a new agreement on the development of Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields as a historical event, saying that the contract will form the basis of bilateral cooperation.

They noted the importance of mutual simplification of visa regime between the two countries.