Baku, May 31, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by member of the Standing Committee of Central Politburo of Communist Party, Senior Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli.

Welcoming the guests, President Ilham Aliyev expressed his confidence that this visit would contribute to the development of the friendly ties and cooperation between the two countries. "We attach great importance to developing our relationship with the People`s Republic of China," said the head of state, recalling his state visit to China that took place late last year. President Ilham Aliyev underlined the significance of the talks held and documents signed during the visit in terms of the future cooperation. Saying that Azerbaijan and China enjoyed excellent political ties, the President pointed to the development of the bilateral cooperation in economic, humanitarian, energy, transport and other areas. The head of state described the visit of the Chinese delegation as another step toward the expansion of the friendly ties.

Member of the Standing Committee of Central Politburo of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China , Senior Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Gaoli hailed their visit to Azerbaijan. He said that prior to heading to Baku he met with President of the People`s Republic of China Xi Jinping, and extended his best regards and greetings to the Azerbaijani head of state. He said Xi Jinping regarded Azerbaijan as an important and friendly country for China. Saying that he was deeply impressed by development processes taking place in Baku and the city`s beauty since the first minutes of his arrival, Zhang Gaoli said Baku was a model of harmony of history and modernity in urban planning. He said that under President Ilham Aliyev`s leadership Azerbaijan was rapidly developing and the people`s well-being was being improved.

President Ilham Aliyev described the fact that high-level Chinese delegations had visited Azerbaijan in a short space of time as a good indicator of the bilateral ties, adding that the development of relations with China was among key foreign policy priorities of Azerbaijan. The head of state said Azerbaijan considered a dialogue partner status granted by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as the first step toward full integration into the organization, and added that cooperation with this organization occupied an important place in Azerbaijan`s foreign policy. President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan put a special emphasis on its cooperation with China in combating terrorism and extremism. The head of state expressed Azerbaijan`s interest in working with China to create and develop the Silk Road infrastructure. The President said Azerbaijan was ready to play a vital transit role in the transportation of Chinese products to Europe and vice versa. "Work continues to build the railway in the country, the largest sea trade port in the Caspian basin, and to establish a free economic zone here. Azerbaijan is interested in Chinese companies` active involvement in this process.” The head of state said Azerbaijan welcomed the Chinese investments made in different areas of Azerbaijan`s economy. President Ilham Aliyev said Chinese firms were successfully involved in Azerbaijan`s construction sector, and underlined the existence of good potential for cooperation in the fields of tourism, culture, energy, education, transport, high technologies, agriculture, communication and information technologies, and others. President Ilham Aliyev congratulated China on its strides in a variety of areas.

Member of the Standing Committee of Central Politburo of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China, Senior Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Gaoli noted that China attached great importance to relations with Azerbaijan. He underlined the recent visit by special envoy of the President of the People's Republic of China, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party, Secretary of the party`s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission Meng Jianzhu to Azerbaijan, saying he was very pleased with this visit.

Stressing the importance of the two countries' mutual cooperation within the UN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other international organizations, the head of the Chinese delegation also hailed the importance of mutual cooperation in regional security. "We will encourage Chinese companies to invest in the economy of Azerbaijan," said Zhang Gaoli, adding that China is interested in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan in restoring the Great Silk Road, as well as in the fields of industrial production, oil and gas sector, engineering, high technology, infrastructure, education, culture, tourism, etc. He noted that the expansion of relations between the two countries' ruling parties contributed to the strengthening of bilateral relations.

"The New Azerbaijan Party was founded by national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. Today, under your leadership, the party plays an important role in the overall development of Azerbaijan. Thanks to your wise leadership and successful policy, development processes in Azerbaijan contribute to the prosperity of the Azerbaijani people," Zhang Gaoli said. He stressed that China had always supported Azerbaijan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked member of the Standing Committee of Central Politburo of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China, Senior Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Gaoli for his kind words about Azerbaijan.

The head of state pointed to the two countries' active cooperation within the UN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other international organizations, and praised China's support for the country in these organizations.

Providing an insight into the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President Ilham Aliyev highlighted Armenia's aggressive policy and the process of negotiations to ensure conflict resolution. He said that the two countries' supporting each other's territorial integrity was of crucial importance.The head of state stressed the significance of cooperation between the two countries' ruling parties too.

President Ilham Aliyev invited President of the People`s Republic of China Xi Jinping to pay a visit to Azerbaijan at his convenience.

The head of state expressed his gratitude for the greetings of President of the People`s Republic of China Xi Jinping and asked Zhang Gaoli to communicate his greetings to the President of China.

After the meeting they posed for photographs.