Dear Mr. President,

I offer my gratitude for your congratulatory letter and warm words on the occasion of the Novruz holiday.

As you mentioned, this year, we celebrate a significant milestone – the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America. I congratulate you on this occasion and extend my most sincere wishes to the friendly people of America.

I note with pleasure that over the past 30 years, successful bilateral relations have been established between our countries. Throughout this time, our multifaceted productive engagement has been accompanied by mutual investment and the active involvement of hundreds of companies representing your country in Azerbaijan's economic life.

The joint performance of Azerbaijan and the United States to address critical issues on a bilateral basis and multilaterally are commendable. In this regard, energy security, international security and combatting terrorism are among the principal areas characterizing our partnership. We highly appreciate the consistent support provided by the United States in the development of rich energy resources in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea and the implementation of large-scale transnational energy projects, which are of great significance for ensuring global energy security.

Azerbaijan has stood next to the United States in the fight against international terrorism and its various manifestations and has proved to be a reliable partner. Our country's close cooperation with the United States until the end of NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan vividly demonstrates our contribution to international peace and security.

Dear Mr. President,

Today, the Republic of Azerbaijan is a state pursuing independent policies based on the will and interests of its people. The liberation of Azerbaijan's historical lands ended almost 30 years of Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan, as our country itself implemented the relevant UN Security Council resolutions that had remained on paper for almost 30 years. As an adherent of peace, we are ready to launch negotiations on a peace treaty with Armenia based on fundamental principles of international law, such as the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of our country. We do hope that the United States will support Azerbaijan's peace agenda based on a vision for the future.

Post-conflict restoration and reconstruction work is currently underway across our liberated lands. We would be pleased to see also companies from the U.S. involved in this process.

I believe that as friends and partners, we will continue to make joint efforts further to develop our cooperation with significant potential in all areas for the sake of the interests of our countries and the wellbeing of our peoples.

Seizing this opportunity, I wish robust health and success to you and everlasting peace and prosperity to the friendly people of the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 22 March 2022