Baku, May 4, AZERTAC

On May 4, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic Giorgia Meloni delivered press statements.

The President of Azerbaijan made the statement first.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Madam Prime Minister,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, Madam Prime Minister, I once again sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan. I am confident that your visit will be another contribution to the development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Italy.

Our countries are strategic partners; two declarations on strategic partnership were signed in 2014 and 2020. These two documents, which form the basis of our relations, are already being effectively implemented in practice. Your presence in Azerbaijan today is yet another testament to the depth and substance of Azerbaijan–Italy relations. Everyone is aware that you were in Armenia today. Completing your program in Armenia and coming to Azerbaijan holds a special, highly symbolic meaning for us; at the same time, it is a clear manifestation of the respect and goodwill shown toward Azerbaijan.

Our political relations are at the highest level. At the same time, our trade relations are in excellent shape. Italy is Azerbaijan's top trading partner. Last year, our trade turnover amounted to approximately USD 12 billion. Naturally, one of the primary directions of our relations is cooperation in the energy sector. Here, too, we have supported each other as reliable partners for many years. Azerbaijan ranks second in Italy's oil imports and also second in its gas supply.

For us, the Italian market is of primary importance for both oil and gas. Last year, Azerbaijan exported 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas, of which 9.5 billion cubic meters was exported to the Italian market. Today, during our discussions, we discussed increasing this volume. For this, it is necessary to expand the TAP project, which is an integral part of the Southern Gas Corridor. It has already been expanded to a certain extent, but this process must continue.

Our new area of cooperation—military-technical cooperation—is also promising. This issue was also discussed today. We have concrete ideas regarding the implementation of joint projects, the organization of joint production, and the combination of Italian technologies with Azerbaijani financial resources. This matter was discussed in detail.

The Italian market is of great interest to us. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the Italian economy is developing successfully. Over the past few years, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan has invested approximately USD 3 billion in the Italian economy. We also discussed channeling these investments into new projects.

Italian companies have a very extensive history of successful activity in Azerbaijan. Currently, about 130 Italian companies operate in Azerbaijan, and I would like their number to increase further. Notably, Italian companies have implemented and are currently implementing 23 projects in the liberated territories of Garabagh and East Zangezur. Among foreign partners, Italy holds a leading position in the implementation of these projects.

Naturally, alongside all these business, commercial, and trade relations, as well as the joint activities of companies and other matters, we have not forgotten what is perhaps the most important field—education. Last year, the Italy–Azerbaijan University was solemnly inaugurated in Baku. This university will have a significant impact on the development of education in Azerbaijan. According to the information provided to us, more than 500 students are already studying there, and in the future, they will become both highly qualified specialists and true ambassadors of Azerbaijan in Italy and Italy in Azerbaijan. Thus, our friendship will continue confidently in the years ahead.

Distinguished Madam Prime Minister and members of the delegation, I once again extend my sincere welcome to you and welcome you to Azerbaijan.

x x x

Then, the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy made the statement.

Statement by President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni

- Thank you very much, Mr. President.

I say 'good evening' to all of you. I am very pleased to be here in Baku today. Naturally, I would like to express my gratitude once again to Mr. President Aliyev and the entire government for the very warm welcome shown to us, as well as for the very productive dialogue we have conducted throughout this day.

Regarding the relations between our countries today, this is significant for me from a political perspective. This is because 13 years have passed since the last official visit of an Italian Prime Minister to Azerbaijan. I believe we had to fill this long-standing gap. This manifests itself not only in the friendly relations connecting our countries but also in the very important cooperation between Italy and Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, there has been a great qualitative leap in our ties. Consequently, of course, I thank you for the very extensive conversation we had. Based on our talk, we agreed to transform our cooperation through permanent political coordination. From here, we will jointly determine priorities for the future. I believe that in the complex international landscape we currently live in, this is a very significant choice. However, the instability around us is increasing, and the resolution of obvious issues between us is beginning to take on greater importance. One of those obvious issues is, of course, the relationship between Italy and Azerbaijan.

Unequivocally, one of the fields that has always characterized our cooperation is the energy sector. Since the start of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine, the export of gas and oil to Italy has played a decisive role in the energy security of the country I honorably represent. We spoke clearly about strengthening these ties. We must work not only on supply volumes but particularly on the quality of industrial partnership across all sectors. We know that energy and connectivity are two sides of the same coin. We would like Azerbaijan to strengthen its role as a fundamental hub between Europe and Asia. In this regard, Italy is always ready to play the role of a privileged gateway to the European market. It is clear that such a plan requires investments, long-term programs, and the alignment of the most suitable opportunities within the production and industrial systems of our countries. For this reason, we have planned to organize a business forum here in Baku in the second half of 2026 to turn our political cooperation into concrete opportunities for our enterprises and workers.

I agree with the President that all of this is visible both in the significant Azerbaijani investments made in Italy in recent years and in the allocation of large-scale Italian investments in Azerbaijan. Mr. President, as we noted in our conversations, I can confirm that there are numerous Italian enterprises with a very great interest in strategic plans, development plans, and 360-degree modernization – not only bilaterally but also in the execution of joint work in third countries. Because energy is not the only field of our cooperation. There are many other fields.

Another decisive field is defense and security. In this area, including the aerospace industry, maritime security, the protection of critical infrastructure, and advanced technologies, we wish to deepen our cooperation by valuing Italy’s most sophisticated achievements. We propose a model in which cooperation between our industrial systems results in knowledge exchange, joint development, and the promising future fields that can contribute to regional stability, ultimately unifying our industrial frameworks.

Nevertheless, our friendship is deeply rooted in our relations, the ties between our societies, and our cultural connections. Here in Baku, the university established under the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy with the participation of President Mattarella was formed through cooperation with five prestigious Italian universities. Ultimately, all of these – culture, future generations, the ties between our peoples, and the agreements we have reached today in the fields of both culture and food security – are symbolic aspects of our common intent. All these efforts are developing in the same direction.

Naturally, I exchanged views with President Aliyev on key international issues, ranging from the crisis involving Iran to the events occurring in our region that affect us all. Clearly, it was very interesting for me to listen to the opinions of the President of a country that shares a common border and a long common history with Iran. Once again, we hope that this crisis will be resolved as soon as possible. I reiterated our commitment to supporting any initiative that serves this purpose and to establishing stability in the region. I would also like to express my gratitude to Azerbaijan, the President, and all Azerbaijani authorities for carrying out the operations necessary for Italy to evacuate numerous Italian citizens who faced danger and were forced to leave the country. Your side took full measures in this regard; specifically, I thank you for supporting the temporary relocation of our embassy in Tehran to Baku, allowing it to operate efficiently in a secure environment. This is another element demonstrating our friendship.

We noted the importance of strengthening dialogue between Azerbaijan and the European Union. Energy and transportation are unequivocally two areas where Europe can and should play a more vital role. In this way, support for investments and a greater integration of Azerbaijan into energy networks and international transport routes can be ensured.

We discussed relations with Armenia. I reaffirmed Italy's full support for the path toward normalization, which reflects a historic stage thanks to the impetus provided by the United States. I believe that 2026 can become a significant year in this regard, as it is crucial that the full potential of this dynamic region is utilized. Furthermore, diplomatic efforts aimed at a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine must yield results, as our countries have provided great support and stood by the Ukrainian people.

In short, there are numerous topics that unite us in our work. As I mentioned, we can carry out these tasks together. In conclusion, I state once again that we live in a period where clear certainties are few, and it is only natural that when such instances are scarce, we must become more connected to one another. For this very reason, Italy views the important partnership it carries out with Azerbaijan as a long-term partnership and desires it to remain long-term hereafter.

Mr. President, thank you once again for the warm reception and for the very interesting conversation we had.