London, March 5, AZERTAC

“There's no doubt in my mind that British government is very keen to develop relationships with Azerbaijan. There are already good relationships, long standing relationships, but as I have talked to the ambassador and to other colleagues from Azerbaijan, it's clear to me that there are some areas where we could develop further,” Lord John Alderdice, the United Kingdom's newly appointed trade envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia, said in an exclusive interview with AZERTAC’s special correspondent in London.

Lord John Alderdice pointed out the possibilities of expanding cooperation between the two countries, saying: “So for example, areas like higher education or healthcare, I think there are opportunities for cooperation in both directions, both people coming from Azerbaijan to the UK and from the UK to Azerbaijan.”

Noting that he also has responsibility for the Central Asian countries along with Azerbaijan, Lord Alderdice emphasized that Azerbaijan is obviously of particular significance. “So I was glad to attend the launch of the “Friends of Azerbaijan Group” at the House of Lords reception, and to give encouragement to them, and I'm sure I will be calling on their advice from time to time,” he stated.

Lord Alderdice underscored that it was too early to talk about specific priorities for 2025 as he has only just taken the post up. “Clearly, the world in general is not in a very good place, and Azerbaijan and its neighboring countries are in a difficult neighborhood. So, I think one of the things will be to see, how do we cooperate together despite all the difficulties that there are around in the world, and indeed, if we can find good ways of cooperating with peaceful partners like Azerbaijan, then all the better,” the UK envoy noted.

Lord John Alderdice also spoke on how the UK can support Azerbaijan's renewable energy transition. “This is one of the areas where I think government is particularly keen to make progress. Azerbaijan has a long and important and distinguished history, and with the hydrocarbons, and indeed with British companies involved in that. But certainly this government is very keen to move for an increase in renewables, and that requires technology, it requires enthusiasm, it requires funding, and I've already been having some discussions about how we might be able to collaborate on that. For example, further education research in universities is a very important way of exploring how to improve our position. As far as renewables is concerned, we've got to do good scientific research and then convert that into workable technology, and I think that's an area where we can certainly collaborate,” he underlined.

In his response to the question about upcoming visits to Azerbaijan, the British trade envoy said that he is planning to visit Azerbaijan, but they don't have any dates at this point. “I have been to Azerbaijan, but like lots of people who have been there, the journey has generally gone straight to Baku, into a conference, stay a few days for the conference, and then leave again without even seeing the wonderful country that Azerbaijan is. So I'm hoping that the next time I go, I will be able to find an extra day or two to visit some other parts of the country as well,” Lord John Alderdice added.

Ayten Abbasli

Special correspondent