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Qabil Ashirov

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Despite having different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, Azerbaijan and the UAE have many commons. First of all, Islam is the main religion in these countries, and Islamic values connect the citizens of the two countries. Besides, both of the countries are famous for their oil and gas production. However, initiative and risk-taking are the main features that connect these two nations.

Thus, Azerbaijanis were the first nation in the Islamic world that presented democracy and European values to the East. The first democratic republic was established in Azerbaijan. It was Azerbaijan that gave suffrage to females in the East. It is worth noting that Azerbaijan adopted female suffrage before several countries such as Turkiye, the USA, the UK, France, Italy, and so on. Speaking about Azerbaijanis, a well-known historian, and Azerbaijani scholar Tadeusz Swietochowski noted that Azerbaijanis took the initiative among Muslims and Turkic-speaking people living in the Russian empire despite they joined the empire much later than other nations.

We can say the same things about the UAE as well. Despite having huge natural resources, the countries within the Emirates are rare ones in the world that do not suffer from the natural resource curse. As is known, most fossil-fuel-rich countries are poor and conflict-riddled. Unlike these nations, with the help of fossil fuels, the UAE could establish a perfect economic system that brought wealth and prosperity to its citizens. The UAE has well diversified economy and it is not dependent on fossil fuels as much as other countries. According to OEC, the exports of the country amounted to $296bn in 2021 of which 19 percent contains crude oil. Besides, exports per capita totaled about $30K which is considered much better. For comparison, the exports per capita of Turkiye amounted to $ 2.8K and the USA $4.9K in the same period.

The two countries, which have brought new breath to the East, are approaching each other rapidly day by day and have started to cooperate in different fields.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the first states to recognize the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and the UAE were established on September 1, 1992. Since that time the ties between the two states have developed highly and fruitfully in various spheres. Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates were and are still cooperating within the bounds of significant international organizations, such as the United Nations Organization, the Islamic Conference Organization, and other influential regional and international organizations. Besides, the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade, and Technical Cooperation between the two countries was established. Meetings and business forums have been organized and the companies of the two countries take part in the exhibitions both in the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. The United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan have developed very strong, reliable friendship and brotherhood relations, and necessary steps are continuously taken to expand the cooperation in industry, energy, agriculture, communication, high-tech, transport, trade, investment, tourism, launching of new airlines, education, and culture.

The mutual visits of the officials and heads of state deepen these relations between the two countries. The latest visit of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to Azerbaijan is one of these visits. During the visit the sides signed several documents such as the trip featured the signing of several key agreements, including the “Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership between the Azerbaijan Republic and the United Arab Emirates”, “Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Finance of the United Arab Emirates”, “Protocol of Intent between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates”, “Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between ADA University and Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy”, “Memorandum of Understanding on Investment Cooperation on electricity transmission projects between the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Investment of the United Arab Emirates”, “Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation on enhancing the use of renewable and clean energy potential of Azerbaijan and enabling Green Energy Export Operations”, “Calendar of Events for the implementation of 1GW solar and onshore wind projects in Azerbaijan” and the “Strategic Cooperation Agreement between ADNOC and SOCAR”.

The president of the UAE said that the “Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates” adds strategic significance to the relations between the two countries,

Expressing that they will mobilize efforts to develop ties and cooperation in the trade, economic, industrial, agricultural, cultural, and educational sectors, Al Nahyan was quoted saying that relations between Azerbaijan and the UAE are “progressing in an upward trajectory.”

Al Nahyan also congratulated Baku on being chosen to host the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), calling it “a testament to the world's confidence in Azerbaijan” and that the UAE is ready to share its expertise, especially regarding the organization of the event.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the visit is a historic event.

“I am confident that this visit will contribute significantly to the development of friendship and brotherhood between our two countries.”

President Ilham Aliyev touched on the signed documents and said these agreements will form a sturdy foundation for our future cooperation.

“Our cooperation is multifaceted, spanning many areas. In the recent past, significant strides have been taken in the energy sector, particularly in the field of green energy. In October of last year, a 230-megawatt solar power plant was inaugurated in Azerbaijan, made possible through investments from your country. This is just the first step. Based on the signed contracts and memoranda of understanding, investments from your country are planned to facilitate the production of 10 gigawatts of green energy in Azerbaijan,” President Aliyev said.

The head of state spoke about documents signed previously and emphasized the importance of the Joint Investment Fund and documents covering the information and communications sector. As is known, Azerbaijan has a new initiative to generate electricity from renewable energy and to export 5 GW to Europe. The UAE has a good experience in this field and surely cooperation in this field will bring great opportunity to the region.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

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