Beijing, December 10, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhang Dejiang in Beijing.

Welcoming President Ilham Aliyev in his country, Zhang Dejiang congratulated the head of state on the victory of the New Azerbaijan Party in the parliamentary elections. He said China attached great importance to the state visit of the Azerbaijani President, adding this visit would contribute to the expansion of the bilateral cooperation. Zhang Dejiang noted that China put great emphasis on the deepening of the friendly relations with Azerbaijan, and stressed that Azerbaijan was an important partner of China in the South Caucasus. The chairman said there was mutual confidence between the two countries, adding that Azerbaijan and China have always supported each other on important issues. He noted that China backs the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and praised Azerbaijan`s supporting the One-China principle. Noting that the two countries were actively cooperating in the UN, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and other international organizations, Zhang Dejiang said Azerbaijan was rapidly developing, stability reigns in the country, and “Azerbaijan-2020: Vision of the Future” development concept has been successfully implemented under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed satisfaction with his visit to China, adding this trip would be an important stage in the development of Azerbaijan-China cooperation. Expressing gratitude to Zhang Dejiang for his congratulations over the victory of the New Azerbaijan Party in the parliamentary elections, the head of state noted that the New Azerbaijan Party and the Communist Party of China have maintained active cooperation for many years. President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that his state visit to China would give impetus to the development of the bilateral cooperation. Noting that the two countries were successfully cooperating in political and economic areas, the head of state said Azerbaijan supports an initiative to establish an economic zone on the ancient Silk Road. The Azerbaijani President stressed the importance of Azerbaijan`s becoming a vital participant in this project in terms of transit. President Ilham Aliyev said the two countries were successfully cooperating within the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Touching upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the head of state thanked China for supporting the settlement of this problem within sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The President said Armenia has not fulfilled the decisions and resolutions adopted by the United Nations. President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan backs the One-China principle, adding the two countries shared the same position on threats as international terrorism and aggressive separatism.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views over interparliamentary ties, cooperation in regional, humanitarian, information and communication technologies, agricultural, tourism and other spheres.