On November 17, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and former Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).

Maimunah Mohd Sharif expressed her gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the opportunity to act as the mayor of Kuala Lumpur in the status of local communities at COP29 and for her inclusion in the Advisory Committee established under the auspices of Azerbaijan’s COP29Presidency.

She congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the high-level organization of COP29.

Maimunah Mohd Sharif's contribution to the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and UN-HABITAT during her tenure as the head of the organization was acknowledged during the conversation. They noted Azerbaijan’s hosting the World Urban Forum in 2026, one of the most important UN events, with the preparations for the forum already commenced.

They touched upon Azerbaijan’s achievements in the field of urban planning in the light of development of Baku and other cities of the country, its experience in building cities and villages in the territories liberated from occupation.

During the conversation, the discussion touched on the exchange of experiences to foster cooperation between Baku and Kuala Lumpur, and establishing relations between both capitals as twin cities.

They highlighted friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Malaysia and the fact that the two countries always support each other within international organizations. In line with the spirit of political relations, the sides exchanged views on further expansion of cooperation in economy, trade, culture, tourism and other sectors.