On 12 October, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev welcomed at the Presidential Palace Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs James Jeffrey.

Mr. Jeffrey said although it was his first-ever visit to Azerbaijan, he followed closely the developments in the country while working in Turkey. He noted he was closely dealing with the issues concerning the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project.

Mr. Jeffrey described Azerbaijan as the country with great cultural and economic potential, and its relations with the United States as successfully developing.

President Ilham Aliyev, in turn, called the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project one of the most important components of the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States. He said this global project had become a reality thanks to the joint efforts by the participating states, leading companies and the U.S. Administration.

The Azerbaijani leader expressed confidence in further enhancement of the Azerbaijan-U.S. cooperation in a variety of fields.

Prospects of the Azerbaijan-U.S relationship as well as some regional issues were also touched upon during the conversation.