Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of the incoming ambassador of Congo

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Congo, David Maduka.

Ambassador David Maduka presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev.

The head of state then had a conversation with the ambassador.

President Ilham Aliyev noted the opportunities for expanding political, economic and trade relations between Azerbaijan and Congo and stressed the importance of fostering bilateral ties in this direction.

The head of state emphasized that Azerbaijan cooperates with Congo within the Non-Aligned Movement and other international institutions.

The President of Azerbaijan thanked the Congolese side for the support and trust regarding the extension of Azerbaijan`s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement.

President Ilham Aliyev pointed out the fact that as the chair state, Azerbaijan acts towards institutionalization of the Non-Aligned Movement, adding that the country will soon host the next Summit of the Contact Group of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The head of state touched upon the significance of conducting discussions on the reforms in the UN Security Council as part of the Non-Aligned Movement and said that Azerbaijan had put forward an initiative that a country holding the chairmanship of the Movement should become a permanent member of the UN Security Council on a rotating basis. President Ilham Aliyev noted the importance of conducting consultations among the member states of the Non-Aligned Movement on this issue. Recalling that Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement will end this year, the head of state noted that the country intends to formulate this issue as an institutional mechanism, adding that it would be a fairer approach if the states that will chair the Movement would be a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Saying that he is happy to be in Azerbaijan, the ambassador noted that Azerbaijan is actively working as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement and underlined that Congo gladly supports Azerbaijan`s chairmanship of this organization. David Maduka said he would often visit Azerbaijan as a non-resident ambassador accredited to the country and would spare no effort to contribute to the development of the bilateral relations, including economic and trade ones. The ambassador described the issue of a state chairing the Non-Aligned Movement becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council on a rotating basis as part of the reforms to be carried out in the UN as an exciting and reasonable proposal.

The sides exchanged views on the issues of bilateral cooperation.