Ilham Aliyev met with UK Prime Minister

On November 12, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, met with Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted that this visit marked the British Prime Minister’s first trip to Azerbaijan, describing it as historically significant and important for UK-Azerbaijan bilateral ties.

Prime Minister Starmer congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on successfully hosting COP29 and praised Azerbaijan’s Presidency of the event.

He underscored that climate change remains a top priority for the UK and commended Azerbaijan’s contributions to global efforts to combat it.

The head of state noted that, despite limited preparation time, Azerbaijan efficiently completed all organizational tasks for COP29. He noted that progress is already evident in the substantive negotiations, including advancements on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which he viewed as a positive development.

The conversation also focused on bilateral cooperation, highlighting the bp-funded solar plant construction project in Jabrayil. This project was recognized as pivotal for transitioning to renewable energy and decarbonizing operations at the Sangachal terminal, one of the world’s largest oil and gas terminals.

The UK’s support for demining operations in Azerbaijan was also appreciated.

The UK Prime Minister expressed interest in the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev explained that discussions on a peace treaty were progressing, with much of the text already agreed upon. He noted significant progress in border delimitation and demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, mentioning that over 12 kilometers of the border had not only been delimited but also demarcated, with the agreement to advance this process reached at the last meeting of the commission.

The Azerbaijani leader stressed the importance of Armenia removing territorial claims against Azerbaijan from its Constitution and emphasized the need to prepare populations for peace to facilitate progress in the peace process and the signing of a treaty.