Baku, August 5, AZERTAC

On August 5, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of Vinta Somé, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Burkina Faso.

The ambassador presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev.

The head of state then had a conversation with the ambassador.

President Ilham Aliyev emphasized Azerbaijan’s interest in developing comprehensive relations with Burkina Faso, highlighting significant opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two countries in all areas. The head of state stressed the need to identify areas for cooperation in the economic and trade spheres, particularly exploring potential Azerbaijani investments in Burkina Faso.

Touching upon cooperation within international organizations, the Azerbaijani President underscored the importance of mutual support in the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement. Highlighting Azerbaijan’s successful chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement over the past four years, President Ilham Aliyev underlined that during this period, Azerbaijan focused particularly on issues such as colonialism, neo-colonialism, and the fight against these injustices. Noting that France's neo-colonial policy is met with revulsion in this context, the head of state emphasized that Azerbaijan has raised its voice against this policy and called for independence and freedom for peoples subjected to colonial oppression by France, which has a bloody history of colonialism. President Ilham Aliyev hailed the active role of Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations in this area within the international non-governmental movement.

Speaking about France's biased position towards Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev pointed out that France had shown its true colors and acted unfairly against Azerbaijan at the UN and the European Union following Azerbaijan’s liberation of its lands.

During the conversation, the head of state mentioned that the Azerbaijani ambassador to the African Union had been tasked with fostering closer relations with African countries and planning specific bilateral cooperation initiatives across various domains.

Ambassador Vinta Somé expressed gratitude for the warm reception and conveyed greetings from Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré, congratulating President Ilham Aliyev on his re-election, the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, and the country’s successful chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked President Ibrahim Traoré for the greetings and congratulations, and asked the ambassador to convey his own greetings to the President of Burkina Faso.

Ambassador Vinta Somé expressed his country’s readiness for comprehensive strategic cooperation with Azerbaijan, underlining that a large Azerbaijani delegation would soon visit Burkina Faso. He highlighted promising prospects for collaboration in energy, agriculture, training, education, counter-terrorism, and other spheres.

Vinta Somé noted that his country highly appreciates Azerbaijan’s support in the fight against colonialism. The ambassador highlighted the developments taking place in the coastal region of Africa, underlining that the Pan-African movement has strengthened and gained new momentum on the continent.

The ambassador wished Azerbaijan success in organizing COP29 and noted that Burkina Faso would be appropriately represented at the event.