BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 25. The opening
ceremony of the 1st Azerbaijan-UK Policy Dialogue was held at ADA
University on September 25, organized by the Institute for
Development and Diplomacy (IDD).
Organized in partnership with the British-Azerbaijani Chamber of
Commerce and bp, the event brought together more than 50
distinguished experts. Participants included members of parliament,
senior government officials, researchers from universities and
think tanks, media specialists, and independent experts.
The two-day event will focus on Azerbaijan-UK bilateral
relations and strategic partnership in a changing global order,
regional security, cooperation, and foreign policy priorities in
the South Caucasus, energy cooperation and economic
diversification, and public diplomacy through education, science,
and innovation. The dialogue will foster mutual understanding and
practical cooperation on regional and global challenges.
The opening ceremony was addressed by
Dr. Fariz
Ismailzade, Vice-Rector of ADA University
and Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
H.E. Mr. Fergus Auld, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Azerbaijan, and
Mr. Bakhtiyar Aslanbeyli, Vice President
for the Caspian Region of bp.
The first panel of the program, dedicated to the topic
“Azerbaijan-United Kingdom Bilateral Relations and Strategic
Partnership in a Changing Global Order”, was attended by Lord Aamer
Sarfraz, Members of the House of Lords of the UK Parliament, Mr.
David Duguid, Former MP of UK Parliament, and then by Mr. Samad
Seyidov and Ms. Sevinj Fataliyeva, Members of the Parliament of the
Republic of Azerbaijan.
During the first day of the program, participants, Sir Liam Fox,
Chairman of the UK Abraham Accords Group, Prof. Emma Edhem,
Alderman of The City of London Corporation, Rehman Chishti, Former
MP of UK Parliament and Former Foreign Office Minister, and Dr.
Matthew Offord, Former MP of UK Parliament, noted the importance of
developing a strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the
United Kingdom, strengthening bilateral relations, and exploring
new cooperation opportunities.
