AZE.US
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a series of meetings in Baku on May 17 with foreign leaders and senior officials who arrived in the capital for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum.
The meetings gave Azerbaijan a separate diplomatic track alongside WUF13, with discussions ranging from energy and trade to reconstruction, transport links, tourism and postwar regional stability.
Aliyev received Maryam Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province; King Mswati III of Eswatini; Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto; Deryageldi Orazov, chairman of the State Committee for Construction of Turkmenistan’s Arkadag city; UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei; Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic; and Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova.
During the meeting with Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the sides underlined the close ties between Azerbaijan and Pakistan and discussed cooperation in political, economic, diplomatic, defense and other areas. Aliyev also noted that Azerbaijan-Pakistan relations are developing within the trilateral Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan format.
The talks with Kenyan President William Ruto focused on prospects for cooperation in energy, defense industry, agriculture and other sectors. Ruto, who was visiting Azerbaijan for the first time, invited Aliyev to pay an official visit to Kenya. He also congratulated the Azerbaijani president for his role in advancing the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Aliyev thanked Ruto and said Azerbaijan would continue its efforts to strengthen the peace process and establish lasting stability in the region.
In the meeting with King Mswati III of Eswatini, the sides discussed the development of bilateral ties, including possible cooperation in energy, mining and other fields. Aliyev said WUF13, attended by representatives of more than 180 countries, offered a useful platform for discussing global urban development challenges and exchanging experience.
The Turkmenistan-related meeting focused partly on reconstruction in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories. Aliyev thanked Turkmenistan for its initiative to build a mosque in Fuzuli and said construction was under way. The sides also noted that cities and villages in the territories had been destroyed during the Armenian occupation and that large-scale restoration work is now being carried out there.
Energy was central to Aliyev’s meeting with UAE Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei. The two sides noted the expansion of Azerbaijan-UAE relations based on strategic partnership, including cooperation in political, economic, energy and renewable energy fields.
With Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Aliyev discussed the development of political, economic, energy and investment ties. The two leaders also noted the importance of Air Serbia’s direct Belgrade-Baku flights for tourism and broader contacts between the two countries.
In talks with Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova, the sides discussed energy cooperation, electricity exports, agriculture, tourism and humanitarian ties. Yotova highlighted the importance of the Solidarity Ring project and also noted cultural links, including cooperation between Shusha and Veliko Tarnovo.
The meetings were held as Baku hosts WUF13, one of the largest UN platforms focused on urban development. For Azerbaijan, the forum has also become a stage for broader diplomatic outreach, bringing together partners from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe in one week of high-level contacts.
AZE.US