President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held meetings with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Gabala, both in a one-on-one and in an expanded format, during which they discussed cooperation in the fields of security, energy, and humanitarian support. This is the Head of State’s first visit to Azerbaijan and the seventh meeting between the leaders in more than four years.
“I thank Azerbaijan for its support of our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Without a doubt, Ukraine has always supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
During the meeting, six bilateral documents were signed across various areas, including defense cooperation. According to the President of Ukraine, the current priority area of cooperation is security and joint production. Ilham Aliyev noted the potential for military-technical cooperation between the two states.
“Last year, two important events took place. Consultations of foreign ministers were held in Baku. There was also a meeting of the intergovernmental commission. And today, during our conversation, we agreed to hold another meeting in Ukraine. We exchanged views and, in short, today, we have quite serious cooperation. And today it was reaffirmed,” added the President of Azerbaijan.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also thanked Azerbaijan for 11 packages of energy assistance. The leaders discussed the continuation of relevant cooperation, as well as efforts to increase trade between the countries.
“There are very good prospects now. We have joint projects, we have joint initiatives, investments… Of course, we discussed trade. It needs to grow. More than 500 million US dollars – and I think it will continue to grow, because we have all the opportunities,” Ilham Aliyev assured.
The President separately noted the assistance provided in the rehabilitation of Ukrainian children. Azerbaijan has already hosted more than 500 children from frontline regions. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also noted that Azerbaijani students choose Ukraine for their studies. The leaders agreed to continue relevant cooperation in education.
Particular attention was paid to efforts to achieve a dignified peace. The President of Ukraine informed about the security situation and constant Russian attacks, including today’s strikes on Ukrainian cities and communities.
“We highly value the role of our partners in mediating this process. We shared with the President of Azerbaijan that we are ready for trilateral negotiations. We had such talks in Türkiye. We had such talks with our American partners in Switzerland. Of course, we are ready for the negotiations in Azerbaijan in the near future, if Russia is ready for diplomacy,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
