Baku, Azerbaijan, April 21. I do believe that
our meeting in Astana (with President Xi Jinping – ed.) and the
joint declaration adopted as a result are a historic event that
ushers a new page in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations, said President
Ilham Aliyev in an exclusive interview with China’s Xinhua, Trend reports.
“The Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic
Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s
Republic of China” was adopted within the framework of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization Summit in Astana on July 3, 2024. The
Declaration emphasizes that, since the establishment of diplomatic
relations on April 2, 1992, our bilateral cooperation has brought
about many fruitful results. At the same time, we agreed to further
expand this cooperation, strengthen our interaction in
international affairs, jointly safeguard the common interests of
the two countries, and jointly advance the cause of regional and
global peace, stability and development.
We jointly declared that our strategic partnership would rest on
such fundamental principles of bilateral relations as mutual
respect, equality, trust, mutual support, mutual benefit and
cooperation. In the Declaration, we also reaffirmed that we are
priority and reliable partners who treat each other’s sovereignty
and territorial integrity with due respect, pursuing an independent
foreign policy based on the principles of non-interference in
internal affairs and peaceful coexistence.
I do believe that our meeting in Astana and the joint
declaration adopted as a result are a historic event that ushers a
new page in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations. Speaking at the
bilateral meeting with President of China Xi Jinping, I noted that
the adopted Declaration officially turns China and Azerbaijan into
strategic partners, which is a great achievement and also a great
responsibility. During our meeting in Astana, I was invited to pay
a state visit to China, and I was pleased to accept the invitation.
I also invited the President of China to visit our country at a
convenient time. I am convinced that such an exchange of high-level
visits will give additional impetus to the process of deepening our
interstate relations,” said President Ilham Aliyev.