Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have hailed the successful development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom.

They made the remarks in letters sent to each other on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and the UK.

“It is gratifying that our ties in political, economic, humanitarian and other fields based on mutual trust and support between our countries have dynamically developed in last 30 years,” President Ilham Aliyev wrote.

UK investments

He noted that Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to friendship and cooperation with the UK.

“The achievements we attained in the economic sphere in this period are encouraging,” he wrote.

Noting that the UK has put large-scale investments in Azerbaijan’s economy, the president stressed that the UK is one of the biggest trade partners of Azerbaijan.

“Almost 600 businesses representing your country are involved and successfully operate in several important projects in Azerbaijan,” he wrote.

Energy cooperation

Aliyev added that years’ long relations of the strategic partnership were well tested in the energy area.

“Today’s still successful continuation of our energy collaboration founded on the basis of the Contract of the Century in 1994 mirrors our beneficial working relationship and reciprocal confidence. It is pleasant to see our strategic cooperation with BP as our reliable partner in oil and gas production,” he wrote.

The president emphasized that he highly values the support given by the UK to the Southern Gas Corridor and conveyed his congratulations on the occasion of the successful completion of the project’s construction.

“It is remarkable that today our interaction in the field of energy has evolved by being elevated to a new level,” he wrote.

He also stated that the joint activities of Azerbaijan with the UK in the green energy transition area are very important in diversifying bilateral ties in the non-oil sector.

The president welcomed the contribution given by the UK companies for the mine clearance in Azerbaijani liberated territories and applauded their close participation in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of these territories.

“I believe that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom will continue to develop and expand by our joint efforts,” he wrote.

Strategic partnership

In turn, Boris Johnson in his letter to President Ilham Aliyev reiterated the importance that the United Kingdom attaches to the relationship between the two countries.

He noted that over the last 30 years, the UK and Azerbaijan have worked together to develop an important strategic partnership.

“I am delighted that since the early foundations of British investment in Azerbaijan’s energy sector, this relationship has broadened and flourished. Investment and trade continue to grow,” he wrote.

The prime minister added that the two countries’ education and cultural links are extremely close, adding that they have developed increasingly valuable cooperation on important issues, including climate change and clean energy, regional security and support for women and girls.

“The United Kingdom is and will continue to be, a steadfast and supportive partner for Azerbaijan. I look forward to the continued development of our partnership in the years ahead,” he wrote.

Azerbaijan and the UK are cooperating in different spheres of the economy. There are already 30 years of successful cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sector, which entered a new stage of development in line with the challenges of the global energy sector. The energy sector accounts for $ 28.8 billion out of $ 30.6 billion of the UK investments in Azerbaijan's economy. The UK is also the biggest investor in Azerbaijan.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UK amounted to $667.8 million in 2021, with exports accounting for $396.6 million and imports for $271.1 million. In addition, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $145.9 million in January 2022.

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