Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov, who is on a working visit to the People's Republic of China, met with his Chinese counterpart Van Yi on 19 September.
Thanking Elmar Mammadyarov for his participation in the annual Asian Summit of the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China, Van Yi expressed his satisfaction with his meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart. The Chinese minister said that Azerbaijan was rapidly developing as a result of the wise policy of President Ilham Aliyev and today it has become a country with a serious reputation in the world. He emphasized his country's interest in comprehensive development of relations with Azerbaijan. He expressed satisfaction with the current level of the Chinese-Azerbaijani relations and characterized these relationships as friendship and partnership relations based on mutual trust. The head of the Chinese foreign policy department said that the agreements reached between President Ilham Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jinping constitute the basis for the development of bilateral relations. Van said that China's position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not changed and that this position is reflected in the documents signed at the level of heads of state. On December 10, 2015, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping signed a Joint Declaration on "Further Development and Enhancement of Friendly Relations and Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China" It was noted that the People's Republic recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and supports the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.
Foreign Minister Van I recalled that China was one of the first countries to support the initiative "Belt and Road" proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and praised his country's support for Azerbaijan. Assessing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project as the contribution of Azerbaijan to the implementation of the " Belt and Road " initiative, the Chinese official said that his country would cooperate with Azerbaijan in the implementation of this initiative.
Expressing his satisfaction with his re-visit to China and re-negotiation with Minister Van I, Mammadyarov noted that the agreements reached between the Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Si Jinpin have determined the roadmap for the deepening of bilateral relations between the Foreign Ministries of both countries. He thanked for the just position of China in resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the UN Security Council resolutions, within the framework of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. Stating that Chinese President Xi Jinping's initiative "Belt and Road" has created opportunities for the expansion and deepening of the Azerbaijani-Chinese relations, the head of Azerbaijan's foreign policy department in this context states that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway provides the shortest rail link between Europe and China and invited China to use transport and logistics infrastructures with the initiative and participation of Azerbaijan. E. Mammadyarov pointed out that political relations between the two countries promote expansion of cooperation in the economic sphere. Mammadyarov said that Chinese companies have great potential for activity in the non-oil sector along with the oil and gas sector in Azerbaijan.
The sides expressed satisfaction with the cooperation of our countries within the framework of international organizations, including the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement. The sides also exchanged views on the status of Azerbaijan in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The sides also stressed the importance of deepening cooperation in humanitarian and cultural spheres and exchanged views on holding various cultural events to bring the people of both countries closer together.
