Dear Mr. President,

On the occasion of the 1 October - Establishment Day of the People’s Republic of China, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I cordially congratulate you and your friendly people and offer my best and sincere wishes.

In the past 73 years, the People’s Republic of China has made extraordinary accomplishments in every sphere, be it economic, social, science and technology, as well as the international arena, and entered a new phase of its development qualitatively. Today, we witness your country, the one with a strong economy and distinctively active engagement and position within the international community, achieving tremendous success under your leadership. As a friend, Azerbaijan is delighted to see China’s achievements.

We attach particular significance to Azerbaijan-China relations that enjoy historical traditions. I note with pleasure that in the 30 years of established diplomatic relations, the friendly ties and our cooperation in political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres have developed dynamically and reached the level of strategic partnership.

We highly value China’s support for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan has also unequivocally supported your country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Presently, there are good prospects for enriching our productive cooperation with new substance across every domain, particularly economy and trade, transport and logistics, investments, energy, agriculture and humanitarian areas. In the meantime, we are interested in expanding our joint activity with the Chinese companies in the reconstruction and restoration efforts across our liberated territories. I believe we can further solidify and deepen our beneficial cooperation by fully harnessing the existing potential in different areas, including the “Belt and Road” project you have initiated.

I recall with fond memories our most recent meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Samarkand. I think that the extensive exchange of views and the discussion we held will provide a fresh impetus to the overall development of our interstate relations based on mutual trust and support.

I am confident that through our joint efforts, the Azerbaijan-China friendship and strategic partnership will continue to expand and strengthen for the sake of the prosperity of our peoples and in line with the interests of our countries.

On this memorable day, I wish you robust health, happiness and success and everlasting peace and prosperity to the friendly people of China.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 28 September 2022