Ilham Aliyev hosted official reception in honor of Polish President Andrzej Duda

Statement of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Mr. President,

Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen!

First of all, Mr President, let me sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan. You are welcome to our country! This is your first visit to Azerbaijan. I am sure that this visit will give a powerful impetus to the development of Polish-Azerbaijani relations.

I remember my official visit to your country. Two years ago we met in Poland and we exchanged views on the further development of our bilateral relations during that meeting. I believe that in two years we have come a long way; a format has been created for successful cooperation in various fields. In particular, I would like to point to the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Poland and Azerbaijan. This is a very important document reflecting the essence of our relations. We really are strategic partners.

Our political connections are at a high level. This is clearly confirmed by mutual visits at the highest level. We have no disagreements on the topics on our agenda. We want our bilateral relations to develop in all areas.

I believe that we need to work harder in the economic sphere because the trade turnover between us is still not sufficient even though there is potential. We talked about this today and determined that our trade should grow at the next stage as a result of regular meetings among business people. The business forum due to be held today is a very important tool for achieving this, of course. I know that there is great interest in the forum both in Poland and in Azerbaijan. I believe that the business circles of Poland and Azerbaijan, having established close ties, can benefits both themselves and our countries.

I believe that there is no disagreement between us in terms of investment. We should work harder in the issue of mutual investment. There is wonderful investment climate in our country. I hope that Polish companies carefully consider these opportunities. At the same time, I recommend that Azerbaijani companies consider the opportunities available in Poland so that the economic and trade relations established between us can be expanded. Last year, a trade house of Azerbaijan was opened in Poland. This is an important albeit a small step. I believe that from now on larger steps will be taken in this direction.

We have also exchanged views on cooperation in the field of transport. It was noted that the East-West and North-South transport corridors are of great importance for our countries. Azerbaijan is doing its part of the work in this direction. The existing transport and logistical opportunities are creating a new situation. So Azerbaijan is becoming one of the transport centers, and I am sure that the volume of cargo transported through our territory will also increase.

A thorough exchange of views has been held on cooperation in the field of energy. There is also great potential in this area. There is mutual interest. Relevant agencies and companies are currently working on this issue and negotiations are underway.

We have also had an exchange of views on cooperation in other sectors. There are good opportunities in the fields of agriculture, tourism and others. There are certain achievements and new opportunities, so we should take advantage of these opportunities.

In a face-to-face meeting with Mr President, I also shared my opinion on the situation in the region. I expressed the position of Azerbaijan on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This conflict must be resolved on the basis of the norms and principles of international law. The occupying forces must leave the occupied lands and the territorial integrity of our country must be restored. This is also required by historical justice and international law.

In a nutshell, the success of the visit is already a reality. I am confident that the agreements reached in the second half of the visit will also give a powerful impetus to our overall bilateral cooperation. Our cooperation will develop the way we want it. The fact that the visit has been a success is already evidence of strong political will on both sides.

You are welcome again, Mr President, and I wish you a pleasant visit. Thank you!