Baku, October 13, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith delivered press statements on October 13.

The President of Azerbaijan made the statement first.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

– Esteemed Mr. President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, Mr. President, allow me to once again welcome you to Azerbaijan.

This is not our first meeting. We have met on several occasions on the sidelines of international events, and I extended an invitation to you to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan. I am very pleased and grateful that you accepted my invitation and are here in Azerbaijan today. I am confident that this visit will make a significant contribution to the development of our bilateral relations and further deepen cooperation between our countries.

Today, in both our one-on-one meeting and the expanded-format meeting, we discussed many important issues and identified concrete steps to be taken. The Joint Statement adopted today sets out the framework for our future cooperation and identifies its key areas.

As for our political relations, they have been developing successfully for many years. Diplomatic relations between our countries were established more than thirty years ago, and throughout this period, we have consistently demonstrated solidarity and mutual support in numerous international organizations. This remains true today, and I am confident that it will continue to be the case in the future.

Interparliamentary ties are also developing. Friendship groups have been established in both countries, which is itself a clear indication of this progress. We cooperate successfully in this area, both bilaterally and within international interparliamentary organizations. Our ruling parties also maintain close cooperation, and a Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was signed several years ago.

In other words, our political relations are developing very successfully. We would like to see similar progress in the economic sphere. Today, during our exchange of views, both sides agreed that the current volume of bilateral trade reflects neither our potential nor our intentions.

Therefore, instructions were issued to intensify economic cooperation, including efforts to increase bilateral trade. I hope that the Laos–Azerbaijan Business Forum scheduled to take place in Baku will be an important step in this direction. We also plan to exchange relevant information. I informed Mr. President that, should the Lao side present specific projects to Azerbaijani investors, we would be very interested in examining them.

Azerbaijan’s investments abroad are increasing year by year. Our financial capabilities enable us to expand the geographical reach of these investments. Investments amounting to billions of dollars demonstrate our capabilities while also bringing substantial benefits to the countries in which they are made. New jobs are created, and new industries are established.

Therefore, we intend to pursue the same approach in our bilateral cooperation, provided that specific projects are presented to us, as I mentioned earlier.

During our discussions, it was noted that more than two thousand students from Laos studied in Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. I proposed reviving this tradition. A scholarship mechanism has also been proposed for this purpose, and I am confident that we will see a growing number of Lao students studying in Azerbaijan in the coming years.

Unfortunately, we also face a serious common challenge: landmines. Mr. President informed me that although several decades have passed since the war in Laos, people are still losing their lives and sustaining injuries as a result of landmines. I also noted that more than one million landmines were planted on our territory during Armenia’s occupation, and that over the past five to six years, more than 400 Azerbaijanis have lost their lives or sustained serious injuries as a result. I believe that sharing experience in this field could be beneficial, while the introduction of new technologies and the implementation of training programs are also of great importance.

Transport connectivity was among the issues we discussed. Mr. President noted that railway projects aimed at improving connectivity with neighboring countries were underway and that, once completed, they could provide a direct connection to the Trans-Caspian Transport Route.

For my part, I noted that all major transport and logistics projects in Azerbaijan have already been completed. We are now focusing primarily on identifying new sources of cargo, attracting freight from new markets, and increasing cargo volumes. I hope that once the projects currently underway on both sides are completed, freight volumes will increase accordingly.

We also discussed opportunities for cooperation in energy, mining, agriculture, and other sectors. We share the view that tangible results can be achieved in each of these areas if concrete steps are taken. In any case, we have the necessary opportunities and, most importantly, the mutual determination to move forward.

Laos is a friendly country to Azerbaijan. As I have said, our relations, spanning more than 30 years, have demonstrated this time and again. Mr. President’s official visit to Azerbaijan and his planned participation in the Summit on the 15th of this month are further testament to this friendship. I should also mention that Mr. President informed me that he had visited Azerbaijan in the 1980s. Nevertheless, this is the first-ever official visit by a President of Laos to Azerbaijan.

Mr. President, I would like to once again thank you for your visit and convey my very best wishes to you. Thank you.

x x x

Then, the President of Laos made the statement.

Statement by President Thongloun Sisoulith

- Thank you, Your Excellency President Ilham Aliyev. I am deeply honored to be here today with representatives of the Azerbaijani press. I thank you for your kind remarks.

Your remarks were comprehensive and addressed all the issues we discussed today, both during our tête-à-tête meeting and in the expanded-format meeting, with a view to strengthening the traditional friendship and cooperation between our countries and expanding our cooperation into new areas in the future.

I have been warmly received by Your Excellency, Mr. President, here today. I would like to emphasize that cooperation and exchanges between our countries and peoples date back many years. Our relations are rooted in a longstanding tradition of friendship. In this regard, I recall that Laos had the honor of welcoming former President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev when he was serving as First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers and a member of the Politburo. He attended the Fourth Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party in 1986. We retain fond memories of his outstanding address at that Congress, which made a lasting impression on the Lao people.

Today, I would like to once again express my sincere appreciation to His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev, the son of President Heydar Aliyev, who laid the foundation for the friendly relations between our peoples. President Ilham Aliyev continues this longstanding tradition of friendship and cooperation.

It is particularly symbolic that President Ilham Aliyev, the son of President Heydar Aliyev, is sitting across from Laos's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, who is himself the son of our beloved former President, Kaysone Phomvihane. This symbolizes the continuity and strengthening of our relations and reflects the positive outcomes of my official visit today.

I fully share the views you have expressed regarding our meetings and the longstanding ties between our countries.

President Ilham Aliyev also emphasized that our traditionally good bilateral relations should be reassessed with a view to further expanding cooperation beyond interparliamentary and political ties. We should explore additional opportunities for cooperation in the areas of economic development, trade, investment, people-to-people exchanges, tourism, and human resource development, enabling Laos to benefit from these opportunities.

I firmly believe that this official visit will provide an opportunity to instruct the relevant institutions of our countries to examine in greater detail the outcomes of the discussions held at the level of heads of state. We have signed several documents here, including a Joint Statement that reflects our commitment to cooperation. We are confident that Azerbaijani businesses will increase their investments in the Lao People's Democratic Republic in the years ahead. We expect to see greater trade, increased investment, more tourism, and expanded cultural exchanges.

I am particularly pleased that Your Excellency expressed Azerbaijan's readiness to welcome more Lao students in the future. Building on the educational assistance extended to the many Lao students who studied here in the past and restoring scholarship opportunities will also be of immense benefit to future generations.

We will also continue to explore and discuss other areas of potential cooperation. As part of this official visit, I will have the opportunity to meet with the Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis. We will encourage closer cooperation between the legislative bodies of our two countries. Of course, our governments will play the leading role in implementing the outcomes of today’s meetings. I will also meet with the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan and propose that we continue developing cooperation in the relevant sectors. I intend to send additional ministers to Azerbaijan to hold detailed discussions on expanding cooperation in investment, education, energy, and other areas, so that our plans for future cooperation can be translated into concrete results.

Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Excellency, the President of Azerbaijan, as well as to the Government and people of Azerbaijan, for the warm welcome extended to me and my delegation. Your hospitality is a reflection of the brotherhood and friendship between our peoples.

I last visited Baku 44 years ago, and today I have returned. I have witnessed the remarkable development of Baku and Azerbaijan. Everything looks new to me. I could barely recognize the Azerbaijan I visited 44 years ago. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani people have preserved the warmth and friendliness that are deeply rooted in their culture and traditions. The Azerbaijani people remain as warm and welcoming as ever. This has left a very pleasant impression on me.

Mr. President, thank you once again.