President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met in the format of a video conference with President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, who is on a working visit to Azerbaijan.
The reason for holding the meeting in a video conference format is that the members of the Venezuelan delegation tested positive for COVID-19.
During the meeting, the sides stressed the significance of the visit of the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, to Azerbaijan as part of a regional visit, which was described as an indicator of the high level of political relations between the two countries. They expressed confidence that the current visit of the President of Venezuela would contribute to the development of bilateral relations.
Nicolas Maduro expressed his satisfaction with the fact that he was visiting Azerbaijan for the third time and added that Venezuela attached great importance to relations with Azerbaijan. The President of Venezuela noted the need for further development of bilateral relations, positively assessed the work carried out at the multilateral level, including within the Non-Aligned Movement.
During the conversation, the sides also highlighted the successful joint activities of the two countries within the framework of international organizations, including the Non-Aligned Movement. The support of Venezuela in the issue of extending Azerbaijan's chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement for another year was emphasized as well. The Presidents noted Azerbaijan's adherence to the Bandung principles, which are fundamental principles of the Non-Aligned Movement.
President Ilham Aliyev said that Venezuela had always supported the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The head of state noted that the conflict had been resolved, that Azerbaijan had restored justice, international law and territorial integrity on its own. President Ilham Aliyev also added that the two countries had always supported and would continue to support each other's sovereignty and independence.
During the conversation, the sides emphasized the need to expand cooperation also in the economic sphere and step up interaction between business circles. It was noted that the discussion of such issues as joint investment projects and the creation of joint ventures was of great importance in this context.
The meeting also discussed the successful activities of the two countries within the OPEC+ format.
The heads of state discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.