Azernews.Az

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and UK Minister for the Armed Forces, MP James Heappey have discussed regional security, ties and rehabilitation of liberated lands, the Foreign Ministry has reported.

At their meeting, Bayramov provided updates on the implementation of the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia, as well as the fight against the mine threat in liberated areas.

He discussed the possibility of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the restoration and reconstruction of liberated lands.

The minister also lauded UK companies' contributions to mine clearance as well as their participation in the reconstruction of liberated areas. The ministers also discussed the restoration of liberated territories as well as the prospects for cooperation on alternative energy sources and other issues.

Throughout the conversation, both parties expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the two countries in bilateral and multilateral frameworks. The economic success of the two countries was discussed.

Political, economic, trade, energy, and investment perspectives were all discussed. The importance of Azerbaijan's contribution to Europe's energy security was also emphasized.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the ministers emphasized that the United Kingdom is Azerbaijan's largest foreign direct investor.

Jeyhun Bayramov added that 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan establishing diplomatic relations with the UK and that Azerbaijan places a high value on relations with this country.

Noting his earlier meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev with satisfaction, the UK minister emphasized the successful continuation of cooperation between the two countries.

The sides also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and discussed other issues of mutual interest.

As reported earlier, UK Minister James Heappey visited Azerbaijan for a day-long visit.

President Ilham Aliyev received him on March 30. As part of his visit, Heappey also met Azerbaijani Defence Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov.

The sides discussed bilateral military cooperation, the situation in the Karabakh economic zone, and the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.

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.

It should be noted that the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $667.8 in 2021. Of the total turnover, Azerbaijani exports to the UK amounted to $396.6 million while import was $271.1 million.

The UK contributed over AZN 1 million (£500,000) to Azerbaijan’s recovery efforts and demining activities in its liberated lands, the UK embassy reported earlier.

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