Bratislava, December 9, AZERTAC

On December 8, President of the Slovak Republic Peter Pellegrini hosted an official banquet in Bratislava in honor of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The heads of state delivered speeches at the event.

Speech by President Peter Pellegrini

- Mr. President, dear Ilham,

Members of the governments, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends.

Mr. President, it is my honor to welcome you tonight at the Bratislava Castle, together with your distinguished delegation.

I have had the opportunity to visit your homeland many times. I always returned to my beloved country with a strong impression. Your country carries millennia of wisdom, courage, and beauty. It embodies the symbol of fire, not only the one that burns in the eternal flames of Absheron. It is a fire of warmth, determination, resilience, and pride. Your rich history is written in music but also in stone in Gobustan. I was lucky to visit this amazing place last year. And you, Mr. President, are building the country’s future with ambition, innovation, and confidence. Returning back to Bratislava, I also carried a feeling of closeness.

So, though our geographical distance separates us, our two nations are closer than they may seem at first glance. Azerbaijan, for centuries, has stood at the crossroads of civilizations and connected distant worlds through historic trade routes. Your nation is gifted with respect for others and a dialogue-seeking spirit.

Slovakia, now strongly anchored in the UN and NATO, has historically witnessed both collisions and competition among powers, and now it is a hub in the region that connects Europe with the East. Naturally, we seek dialogue, diplomacy, peace, and respect for international law. We share a warm, open heart, hospitality, and love for tradition. We honor friendship, kindness, and respect for others.

Perhaps that is why the partnership between Slovakia and Azerbaijan that we have built over the years, also through our personal contacts, feels natural, and it has become a constant in any weather. We have always supported your territorial integrity and enduring, peaceful solutions. The agreement signed in August is a great achievement that sends a strong message — peace is achievable. This should inspire us also in other parts of the world. We could turn to you when our energy security was at stake and endangered.

As we signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement last year, we infused our relationship with new energy. Your first official visit to Bratislava reflects its strength. The outcomes of our dialogues today show that if we invest in and cultivate a relationship, it bears fruit. We see this especially in the energy, economic, and defense sectors. Without exaggeration, I can say that we are opening a new chapter. We see vast opportunities to expand cooperation in these sectors further, and new opportunities beyond them.

I hope we can open new avenues and connections, new economic opportunities, and links among our people through tourism, cooperation in culture, and sports.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, we have built a strong, two-way partnership based on trust.

Thank you.

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Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Mr. President, dear friends,

First of all, Mr. President, once again, thank you for the invitation to pay an official visit to Slovakia. Thank you for your hospitality. Thank you for your friendship. We have known each other for a long time. We have met many times, but this is an official visit, which has a special status. And this is a visit to a very friendly country, a country that deserves great respect and appreciation. You mentioned the similarity between our nations, though we are situated quite far away from each other. I fully share this analysis.

We have a lot of things in common. We were parts of big empires for centuries. We were together part of countries that were considered states of the socialist bloc. We were not independent. Our independence had very limited boundaries. And we became truly independent countries more or less at the same time, in the beginning of the 1990s. We had to build our independence, all the institutions, and our future ourselves from scratch. And now, when we look at the progress that Slovakia has achieved in a little more than 30 years, we see that this progress is generated by the strong will of your people, by your history, by your culture, and by your national identity. Today, when we visited the ancient castle together, which was very impressive, I once again realized the source of your energy, the source of your resilience, and the source of your ability to conduct an independent policy.

You preserved your national identity throughout the centuries, though it was not easy. Many nations throughout history have been assimilated. Many nations lost the ability to build a state and to preserve their statehood. You managed to do it. And today Slovakia is one of the leading countries with respect to GDP per capita, industrial development, human capital, and living standards. This could be a model for all countries that want to achieve success, preserve their national identity, protect their dignity, and generate friendship. This is how we in Azerbaijan see Slovakia — a very peaceful country, a country that offers friendship, that offers opportunity, and that values friendship. And this is the case between us.

We, Mr. President, together in fact created this framework for cooperation, which today has evolved into institutional development.

You mentioned the Strategic Partnership Declaration signed last year. This is truly a relationship that we elevated to the highest possible level. And today, during our meetings and discussions, visiting historical sites, once again we see achievements and we see huge potential. This synergy, which has already been achieved, will allow us to build even stronger bridges, not only to work and continue working on our bilateral agenda, but also to provide opportunities for the neighborhood. We will be connected by very sustainable connectivity lines. We are already connected by energy infrastructure.

We work actively in different areas of our partnership, and I am sure that my official visit will give an additional boost to our cooperation. In Slovakia, we see friends, we see friendship, we see respect, and we have the same feelings toward your people, your government, and the state of Slovakia. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for all your contributions to our bilateral partnership. I would like to invite you to pay an official visit as President. You visited us as Prime Minister and also as Speaker of Parliament, but an official visit of the President, of course, has a special status. I hope to see you next year in Azerbaijan.

I am also grateful to you and our friends in Slovakia for the support in the reconstruction of Garabagh. The “smart village,” which is now in the process of construction, will be a symbol of Slovakian success in the liberated areas. The village, which consists of 851 houses and 10 apartment buildings, as well as a school, a kindergarten, and a medical center, will be a reflection of your achievements and a symbol of our friendship forever. Today the restoration of the territories liberated from occupation is Azerbaijan’s number one priority. Slovakia not only helps us in doing that but also helps us in demining.

And the special equipment that we received from Slovakia helps to save lives and protect health. Unfortunately, since the Second Karabakh War ended in 2020, we have had more than 400 people killed or severely injured because of landmines, and the equipment we received from you truly saves lives.

Once again, thank you for your hospitality.