Leaders of Azerbaijan and Vietnam made press statements

On May 7, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, delivered press statements.

The President of Azerbaijan made the statement first.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Mr. General Secretary,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Dear Mr. General Secretary, allow me to welcome you to Azerbaijan again! Your visit is of great importance for the development of Azerbaijan-Vietnam. I am sure that the outcomes of the visit will be successful and the agreements reached will translate into concrete projects. Among the documents signed today, I would like to specifically mention the Joint Declaration on a Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and Vietnam. This is a very serious political document. In fact, it is a document that will elevate Azerbaijan-Vietnam relations to a higher level. I am convinced that these high-level relations will play a very important role in our bilateral cooperation in the future. As you can see, the documents signed today cover a number of areas. The negotiations we held and the agreements we reached today allow us to confidently say that we have taken a significant step forward in strengthening our mutual cooperation. The signing of these documents within the framework of the state visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Azerbaijan certainly amplifies their importance even more.

As a result of our joint efforts, there is a significant potential for cooperation in trade, economy, culture, education, energy, transport and other areas. Issues related to these and other areas were extensively discussed today. The documents signed in the energy sector, along with our discussions, give us every reason to believe that we will further expand our cooperation in this field in the near future. Today, this cooperation exists and is carried out mostly in the form of trade cooperation. However, issues related to mutual investment were also discussed. We talked about investment by Vietnamese companies in Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani oil company in Vietnam, and instructions were given for relevant agencies to take concrete steps regarding these issues.

The upcoming meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission will further accelerate possible cooperation in these and other areas. The Commission has not met for many years, and the issue of convening a meeting of the Commission soon has been resolved based on the agreement reached.

Regrettably, the dynamics of trade in the economic and trade sectors depends on Azerbaijan's oil sales to Vietnam. When oil sales are high, trade increases, and when they drop, it decreases. Of course, we would like to see our trade become more balanced, and to achieve this, information exchange is necessary. The projects being implemented in our countries, the available investment opportunities, the regulatory framework, and tax administration—all these aspects should be clearly communicated to the business community. If this is the case, I am sure that trade will not depend on the oil factor alone.

Today, we also exchanged views on the production of renewable energy. I told our distinguished guest that Azerbaijan has ample opportunities and potential in this area. The signed contracts will provide us with 6,500 megawatts of new and clean energy capacity in five years. We have invited Vietnamese companies to invest. I also stated that the Azerbaijani side is ready to invest in renewable energy in Vietnam.

There are vast prospects in the defense industry. This sector is sufficiently developed in both countries. Here, too, joining efforts, creating joint ventures and mutual cooperation can be beneficial.

Our joint activities in international organizations are also very reassuring. Vietnam provided strong support to Azerbaijan in the UN Security Council several years ago, for which we are grateful. We are also working together within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement. Azerbaijan chaired this body for four years and left a highly positive legacy. Today, the performance of the Non-Aligned Movement as an even more robust institution is in the interest of both countries.

We also exchanged views on international law, and there is no disagreement here either. All issues should be resolved based on territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of borders of countries, i.e. within the framework of international law. All contentious issues should be resolved through negotiation and peaceful means.

In other words, during our discussions on many fronts today, we see that there are no differences of opinion. On the contrary, we almost speak from a unified position. There are many similarities in our views. Although the distance between us is quite large, we also talked about the transport infrastructure projects that connect us. We can encourage mutual trade through both the North-South and East-West transport corridors. In a nutshell, I am sure that the visit will yield very good results. This is the first time that our esteemed guest has visited Azerbaijan. Despite being brief, the visit is substantial in terms of its content. Today, our work will be continued. Tomorrow, the esteemed General Secretary’s visit will be continued as well. I am confident that he will return to his homeland from Azerbaijan with the best of impressions.

Welcome again, esteemed Mr. General Secretary. I wish you and all our Vietnamese comrades continued success, good health, and happiness.

x x x

Then, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam made the statement.

Statement by General Secretary To Lam

- Honorable President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev,

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. President for the warm welcome extended by our Azerbaijani friends. Mr. President, I also thank you for your kind words about Vietnam and your high appreciation of the relations between our two countries.

My current visit is the first by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Azerbaijan since the establishment of diplomatic relations. This demonstrates Vietnam's determination to further develop cooperation with Azerbaijan in all areas. All of this, in turn, is consistent with the traditional friendship and the potential for cooperation between our countries. Mr. President and I have held successful negotiations in an atmosphere of trust, friendship, and sincerity, and agreed to develop relations between the two countries in strategic directions. We are pleased that relations between our countries began with President Ho Chi Minh's visit to Azerbaijan in 1959.

Following his visit, there have been various contacts and visits. The relations between our countries have been consistently strengthened by our heads of state and our peoples. We have achieved significant results in the political, diplomatic, energy, defense, trade, and other fields. On this basis, we have adopted a Joint Statement on the establishment of a strategic partnership. This ushers in a new era and opens a new chapter in the history of relations between our countries. I am confident that we will be able to deepen and expand our bilateral relations in the near future and utilize our advantages in the interests of development.

I propose five goals to implement the provisions reflected in the Joint Statement. As Mr. President has just mentioned, the first goal is to bolster relations and contacts at all levels, including party, state, parliamentary, and regional levels. I would like relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the New Azerbaijan Party to be active, the signed agreements to be implemented, the effectiveness of existing cooperation mechanisms to be enhanced, and the possibility of creating new mechanisms to be explored. I would like to invite President Ilham Aliyev to visit Vietnam in the near future. He has already kindly accepted my invitation.

Secondly, we would like to step up trade and economic cooperation through the intergovernmental commission. It is important to increase trade and investment, bring together the business communities of both countries, and cooperate in all areas — in addition to energy, oil, and gas — by exploring opportunities in railways, maritime transport, and agriculture.

We will consider the issue of holding the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission soon. We look forward to the outcomes of this meeting, which will be held under the new framework of a strategic partnership.

Thirdly, we must strengthen our cooperation in defense and security, and develop our relations in the areas of information security, combating transnational crime, and fighting cybercrime

Fourthly, we must expand cooperation in culture, sports, tourism, education, people-to-people exchanges, and regional cooperation. We have agreed to exchange experience in organizing training programs and sports competitions. We will also promote tourism and send students to pursue specialties in which you excel. Regarding people-to-people contacts, I would like to see the establishment of a Friendship Society.

Fifth, we should exchange views on issues of mutual interest and support each other in organizations such as the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.

We have also reaffirmed our support for a peaceful approach. We have stressed the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes and the principles of non-use or threat of use of force, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

I am confident that, with the determination of the leaders of both countries, our bilateral relations will continue to develop for the benefit of our peoples, as well as in the interest of peace, stability, and cooperation in the region and the world.

Thank you.