Shusha, September 16, AZERTAC

On September 16, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held an expanded meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, in Shusha.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Mr. President, my dear brother,

Welcome to Azerbaijan, welcome to Karabakh. I am sure that your visit will give a new impetus to the brotherly and friendly relations between our countries. We meet quite often, both in Azerbaijan and in the United Arab Emirates. You visited Azerbaijan twice last year. A few months ago this year, I visited your country. Your visit today is of particular importance because you are visiting Karabakh, the lands liberated from occupation, and this makes us, the entire Azerbaijani people, very happy. Our relations are built on a foundation of brotherhood and friendship. The numerous documents signed today will raise our relations to a new level. Each document signed is of great importance. Among them, I would like to specifically mention the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is a document that raises our political relations to the highest level.

Our political relations are developing very successfully. We always stand by each other in international organizations. We support each other. We are very pleased with the recent mutual investments. Cooperation in the oil and gas sector is deepening. Among the documents signed today, cooperation in the transport sector has great prospects. We are particularly grateful to your country and your country's companies for providing us with great support in the development of renewable energy in Azerbaijan. The companies of the United Arab Emirates are our strategic partners here, the main investors, and the construction and investment in the first Solar Power Plant commissioned in Azerbaijan were made possible thanks to your country's support for us. You know that our plans are broader, and the production of several gigawatts of renewable energy in Azerbaijan in the near future will be possible precisely as a result of your personal instructions and the operation of your country's companies.

We are working on other investment projects. The composition of today's delegations is an indicator in itself. This shows how multifaceted, deep, sincere, and productive our relations are.

My dear brother, I would like to thank you once again for your visit to Karabakh. Welcome to Azerbaijan, welcome to Karabakh!

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President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said:

- My dear brother, Mr. President,

I am truly delighted to be visiting your friendly country and meeting with you. I would like to express my deep gratitude for your kind hospitality. Our meeting today is our third this year. Indeed, our meeting in Abu Dhabi this July was very fruitful and became the basis for a new stage of our bilateral cooperation. Inshallah, our bilateral cooperation and relations, built on friendship, will continue to further enhance the well-being of our countries and peoples.

My dear brother, Mr. President, the relations between the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan have developed consistently over the past decades, and trade turnover - especially in the non-oil sector - increased to $2.24 billion in 2024.

In July, our countries signed an Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation. This document has given a new impetus to our economic relations. Inshallah, it will have a great impact on achieving our common economic goals. We in the United Arab Emirates are interested in continuing to expand this cooperation, particularly in development, the economy, renewable energy, food security, culture, and other important areas, as these sectors promise great results for our future.

Mr. President, we have a special and strong interest in strengthening and expanding our bilateral relations with your friendly country, and we wish to elevate them to a higher level. We are constantly seeking new opportunities for cooperation that will benefit both sides and contribute to sustainable development.

Mr. President, as you have also noted, the progress we have made in our cooperation in the energy sector is reassuring. There is no doubt that the Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed between our countries today reflects the will of both sides to further develop and elevate mutual relations to a higher level.

Mr. President, cooperation in the field of culture between Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates is of tremendous importance. Therefore, this area is a key direction for developing bilateral relations. Both countries believe that cultural exchange serves as a bridge between peoples and promotes cooperation, and are interested in preserving their rich and diverse cultural heritage.

My dear brother, Mr. President, the United Arab Emirates attaches great importance to the establishment of peace and security in the Caucasus region and is interested in developing relations and cooperation with all countries of the region, including Azerbaijan, for the benefit of all peoples. In this regard, we look forward to further achievements and positive developments towards the signing of the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia. On this occasion, we once again emphasize the readiness of the United Arab Emirates to provide all possible support for the establishment of peace and security in the region and for the peoples here to live in peace.

In conclusion, my dear brother, Mr. President, I would like to thank you once again for your hospitality. I wish your friendly country and people continued peace and prosperity. Thank you very much.

X X X

The meeting was followed by a ceremony to exchange documents signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates, in the presence of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The signed documents were exchanged by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov and Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates Saeed Al Hajeri.

The following documents were signed during the visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates: “Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation of the United Arab Emirates on Cooperation in the Organized Recruitment of Manpower for Temporary Work", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates on Cooperation in the Field of Transport", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates on Cooperation in the Field of Energy", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Federal Public Prosecution of the United Arab Emirates", "Memorandum of Understanding between the State Advertising Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Media Council of the United Arab Emirates", "Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Economy and Tourism of the United Arab Emirates", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry on the Establishment of the UAE–Azerbaijan Joint Business Council", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Masdar Company on Cooperation in the Green Energy Zones of the Republic of Azerbaijan", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Presight Company on Collaboration for the Execution of the AI Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025–2028", "Shipbuilding Contract between “Baku Shipyard” LLC and “Abu Dhabi Ports Company” PJSC for the Construction and Sale of Two Container Vessels", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Presight Company in the Field of Advancing the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education", "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and XRG PJSC on Investment in the Southern Gas Corridor", and "Memorandum of Understanding between Azerbaijan Investment Holding and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC on Investment in Azer Turk Bank.”