Азербайджанская Республика
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a meeting with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, Baku, February 28, 2023
Mr Bayramov,
Friends,
We are always delighted to stay in hospitable and sunny Baku. The fog that descended on the city yesterday, confirmed once again that it is highly important to see everything clearly. Regardless of and contrary to the fog, the reception at the residence of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev yesterday confirmed that the Declaration on Allied Interaction between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan, signed on February 22, 2022 in Moscow, is really working. Instead of merely formalising the fact that our relations have been elevated to an entirely new level, the document determines our actions in line with mutual trust and agreements that both sides always fulfil. This does not happen often in the modern world.
I would like to sincerely thank the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev once again for devoting his time to our delegation yesterday and for our productive discussion. I will report to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on how his agreements with Ilham Aliyev are being implemented, including in the context of our mandates. We have many coinciding approaches in our foreign policy activities. We can effectively coordinate our actions regarding an entire range of issues. As we confirmed yesterday, when there are certain nuances in our positions, we can understand each other’s approaches and heed them in the practical activities of each ministry.
We are certainly satisfied with the organisation of this visit. It is wonderful that our joint participation in opening the conference of the Russian-Azerbaijani Expert Council will be part of our stay in Baku. It is important to feel the pulse of civic society and the political analysts’ community.
Thank you for this packed programme, and I am counting on a useful conversation.