BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 21. President of the
Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has given an exclusive
interview to China’s Xinhua News Agency.
Trend presents
the interview.
– Dear Mr. President, we remember you and President of
the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping signing the Joint
Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership at the
24th SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Summit in Astana last
July. In that document, you jointly declared the establishment of
strategic partnership based on the principles of mutual respect,
equal trust, mutual support and cooperation. This is an important
milestone in the history of relations between the two countries. In
your opinion, what important results have been achieved in the
development of relations between China and Azerbaijan and how would
you evaluate them?
– You are right. The Joint Declaration on the Establishment of
Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the
People’s Republic of China” was adopted within the framework of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Astana on July 3, 2024.
The Declaration emphasizes that, since the establishment of
diplomatic relations on April 2, 1992, our bilateral cooperation
has brought about many fruitful results. At the same time, we
agreed to further expand this cooperation, strengthen our
interaction in international affairs, jointly safeguard the common
interests of the two countries, and jointly advance the cause of
regional and global peace, stability and development.
We jointly declared that our strategic partnership would rest on
such fundamental principles of bilateral relations as mutual
respect, equality, trust, mutual support, mutual benefit and
cooperation. In the Declaration, we also reaffirmed that we are
priority and reliable partners who treat each other’s sovereignty
and territorial integrity with due respect, pursuing an independent
foreign policy based on the principles of non-interference in
internal affairs and peaceful coexistence.
I do believe that our meeting in Astana and the joint
declaration adopted as a result are a historic event that ushers a
new page in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations. Speaking at the
bilateral meeting with President of China Xi Jinping, I noted that
the adopted Declaration officially turns China and Azerbaijan into
strategic partners, which is a great achievement and also a great
responsibility. During our meeting in Astana, I was invited to pay
a state visit to China, and I was pleased to accept the invitation.
I also invited the President of China to visit our country at a
convenient time. I am convinced that such an exchange of high-level
visits will give additional impetus to the process of deepening our
interstate relations.
We attach particular importance to the development of
cooperation between our countries in all areas of mutual interest
and view the deepening of bilateral relations as one of the
important directions of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. We can say
with confidence today that our relations have gained a very
positive momentum. High-ranking members of the government and
parliament, heads of ministries and departments, the Prosecutor
General’s Office, as well as officials from the Presidential
Administration and the central office of the New Azerbaijan Party,
visited China in 2024.
Last year, the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the Chairman
of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign
Countries visited Azerbaijan. The participation of the Vice Prime
Minister of the People’s Republic of China in the 29th session of
the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change, COP29, was a landmark event. The conference was
attended by representatives from 196 countries, over 150
international organizations and UN agencies, as well as nearly
2,000 NGOs. The key decisions made at COP29 have been the provision
of climate financing to developing countries, the introduction of
the Loss and Damage Fund, and the full implementation of Article 6
of the Paris Agreement.
As part of its presidency of COP29, Azerbaijan proposed 14
global initiatives addressing the links between climate action and
sustainable development goals, which have already received broad
international support. The agreements reached, the initiatives
supported and the decisions made are of exceptional importance for
the future of humanity and the global climate agenda.
Despite the large-scale and unfounded campaign of pressure and
boycott against Azerbaijan, led by certain Western circles, in
relation to such an important event for the global community, we
once again demonstrated strong political will and professionalism.
This enabled us to host the Conference at a high level, achieve
historic results, and make a real breakthrough in multilateral
negotiations. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I would like to
express my gratitude to the Chinese delegation for its active
participation and valuable contribution to global efforts to combat
climate change.
– According to the State Statistics Committee of
Azerbaijan, China accounted for 7.9 percent of Azerbaijan’s total
foreign trade in 2024. China is your country’s fourth largest
trading partner and has become the main source of imports for the
first time. On November 24, the first Azerbaijani train with export
goods left Baku for China. Trading houses of Azerbaijan are
emerging in Chinese cities, Azerbaijani carpets, pomegranate juice
and other high-quality products are reaching thousands of Chinese
families. What is your view about the role of the high-quality
joint construction of the Belt and Road in promoting this
cooperation between the two countries?
– I would like to draw your attention to another important
agreement reached during my meeting with the President of the
People’s Republic of China in Astana. We are talking about further
expanding trade and economic ties between our countries and filling
them with new high-quality content.
In 2024, the volume of trade between Azerbaijan and China
increased by 20.7 percent compared to the previous year, totaling
3.744 billion US dollars. Indeed, China has become the fourth
largest trading partner for Azerbaijan and its share in the
country’s foreign trade has reached 7.9 percent. It is also the
leader in imports, with its share amounting to 17.69 percent.
Despite the progressive trade and economic cooperation between
the two countries, there is still a huge untapped potential. I do
believe that the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic
Cooperation between the two countries is an important mechanism for
deepening bilateral economic ties, identifying promising areas of
cooperation and consolidating them further in the legal plane.
Timely implementation of the Commission’s decisions will be key to
the success of our efforts. Ahead of my visit to China, the 10th
meeting of the Commission is due to be held in Baku.
The Azerbaijani trading and wine houses you mentioned are
already operating in such cities of China as Beijing, Shanghai,
Urumqi, Qingdao, Chengdu, Nanjing and Zhangjiajie. They are making
a significant contribution to the development of our bilateral
trade relations. Azerbaijan’s trading house has also been created
on the well-known international online trading platform “JD” in
China.
To date, a total of 375 companies with Chinese capital are
registered in Azerbaijan, of which 298 operate quite actively in
the country.
Currently, negotiations are underway between Azerbaijan and
China on the prospects for joint cooperation in the non-oil sector,
in particular, in attracting direct investment in hi-tech and
innovation, alternative and renewable energy.
As you may know, Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to
support the Belt and Road initiative put forward by the President
of the People’s Republic of China. We are implementing serious
projects in this direction. It is safe to say that Azerbaijan is
the second country after China to have invested the most in this
project both on its own territory and abroad. Speaking at the
second Belt and Road Forum held in China in April 2019, I noted
that this project not only provides transport links, but also
strengthens the relations between different countries, serves to
bolster dialogue and cooperation, and creates new opportunities for
international trade.
We are expanding our cooperation with China within the framework
of the Belt and Road initiative. Significant progress has already
been made in this direction. Leveraging its advantageous
geographical location, Azerbaijan continues to extensively develop
international transport corridors, create modern infrastructure and
invest additional funds in increasing their capacity in response to
the sharp increase in cargo traffic through our territory.
Over the past 20 years, 21,000 kilometers of highways have been
built and renovated, 335 bridges and overpasses, 45 tunnels, 163
overland and underground crossings have been built in Azerbaijan.
Considerable progress has also been made in improving railway
infrastructure including the construction of over 1,500 kilometers
of new railways and the renovation of 1,800 kilometers of existing
tracks.
Such important transport projects as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway, the International North-South Transport Corridor and the
Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), as
well as the Baku International Trade Seaport, one of the major
ports on the Caspian Sea, are opening up new horizons for the
implementation of economic and transport opportunities within the
framework of the Belt and Road initiative.
I would also like to highlight that the Middle Corridor is a
reliable and safe route connecting Europe with Central Asia and
China via the Caspian Sea. It is also the most competitive route
for delivering goods between China and Europe, and its importance
is growing rapidly.
The volume of transit traffic between Azerbaijan and China in
2024 amounted to 378,000 tons, which is 86 percent more than in
2023. In 2024, 287 block trains were dispatched from China to
Azerbaijan along the Middle Corridor in import and transit
mode.
– China and Azerbaijan are the centers of civilizations
on the ancient Silk Road. Humanitarian exchanges between the two
countries have flourished in recent years, especially in the fields
of language education and tourism. Beijing Foreign Studies
University has launched a program to study the Azerbaijani
language. More and more Azerbaijani students are showing interest
in the Chinese language. According to Azerbaijani sources, the
number of Chinese tourists who visited Azerbaijan last year doubled
compared to the previous year. What do you expect from this
trend?
– You have touched upon important areas of cooperation both
countries attach particular importance to. The Joint Declaration on
the Establishment of Strategic Partnership points to the
sustainable development of cooperation in the field of education as
part of the existing legal framework between the two countries. At
the same time, we have been paying special attention to cooperation
in the field of language learning and teaching.
The number of citizens from both our countries who have had the
opportunity to study various disciplines at higher education
institutions of Azerbaijan and China at bachelor’s, master’s and
doctoral levels has been steadily growing from year by year. A
number of higher education institutions in Azerbaijan that are
partners of the Confucius Institute provide teaching of Chinese. It
is also encouraging to note that centers dedicated to the study of
Azerbaijani language and culture have recently been established in
China in recent years. A corresponding department has been
established. There is fruitful cooperation between the universities
of the two countries, the necessary legal framework is being put in
place.
I am confident that state support for the teaching of the
Chinese and Azerbaijani languages in educational institutions,
exchanges between teachers and training of specialists will
contribute to the effective interaction between states in various
fields, bring the two countries even closer together and serve
cultural enrichment of the two peoples.
Last year, Azerbaijan unilaterally introduced a visa-free regime
for Chinese citizens in order to develop tourism and facilitate
business activity. Facilitating mutual visa-free travel for
citizens of our countries will help increase tourist flows and,
thus, further expand economic, humanitarian and cultural ties.
– In 2016, Azerbaijan became an SCO dialogue partner
country and is an important member of the SCO family. It was during
the SCO Astana Summit that the two countries established a
strategic partnership. China, as the SCO chair in 2024-2025, will
host the 25th meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council in 2025.
What are your expectations from this summit?
– I believe that China’s chairmanship under the slogan of
“Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO in Action” will contribute to
the further institutionalization and strengthening of its role in
the international arena. China is one of the founding countries of
the SCO and continues to be one of the leading forces in developing
the organization. I am confident that the efforts undertaken by
China within the framework of its extensive chairmanship program
will give additional impetus to strengthening multilateral
cooperation based on the SCO principles, as well as the
implementation of its tasks.
Last year, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of
Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, I took part in the SCO summit.
Currently, Azerbaijan has the status of a dialogue partner of the
SCO. Azerbaijan’s cooperation with the SCO covers a broad range of
areas such as the fight against terrorism, extremism and
separatism, regional security and stability. The focus is also on
issues such as inter-civilizational dialogue, multiculturalism and
promotion of tolerance. As is known, our country plays an active
role in these areas in the international arena.
We attach great importance to the activities of the SCO and
share the principles underlying this organization. As a reliable
partner and an important state in the region, Azerbaijan continues
to contribute to maintaining international and regional peace and
security, implements large-scale trade, economic, transport,
infrastructure and energy projects aimed at expanding trade,
commercial and investment ties, thus contributing to global
economic growth and the achievement of the Sustainable Development
Goals.
I am also confident that close bilateral cooperation between our
countries will contribute most fruitfully to the deepening of
cooperation between Azerbaijan and the SCO and the enhancement of
its status in this organization.
– China and Azerbaijan are important members of the
“Global South”, maintaining close cooperation on multilateral
platforms and effectively defending international justice. How
would you assess the impact of the growing role of the “Global
South” on global governance? And how would you evaluate the concept
of a community of common destiny put forward by China?
– Last year in Astana, President of China Xi Jinping and I
declared our desire to promote the creation of a community of
common destiny for mankind. We advocate the promotion of such
common values of mankind as peace, development, equality, justice,
democracy and freedom, while opposing hegemony and power politics.
We have expressed our readiness to jointly support the
international system under the auspices of the UN, its role in
international affairs, adhere to genuine multilateralism, as well
as an international order based on international law and the goals
and principles of the UN Charter.
I have already mentioned that, being part of the Global South,
we have always defended its interests. In 2019-2023, Azerbaijan
chaired the Non-Aligned Movement, the second largest international
organization after the UN. During that period, our presidency made
a number of systematic efforts to enhance the role and status of
this important platform uniting the countries of the Global South.
One of our ideas during the COP29 presidency was to build stronger
bridges between the Global South and the Global North.
Today, countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, which
together form the Global South, make up almost two-thirds of the UN
member states. They account for about 80 percent of the world’s
population, about 50 percent of the world’s GDP and about half of
the total volume of international trade. The participation of the
Global South in building a more sustainable, fair and secure world
order is a natural process.
– Almost six years have passed since your visit to China
in April 2019. Can you share your impressions of your previous
visits to China? What are your expectations for your upcoming visit
to China?
– China is one of the world’s fastest growing countries. China’s
achievements and successes in all areas under the resolute and wise
leadership of President Xi Jinping have elevated it to the ranks of
the most powerful and advanced countries in the world, further
strengthening its standing in the international arena. Under
President Xi Jinping’s leadership, China has made significant
progress. China’s development meets the interests not only of the
Chinese people but also the entire world.
At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, I paid a working
visit to China in 2014 and a state visit to the People’s Republic
of China in 2015. In 2019, at the invitation of the President of
China, I participated in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for
International Cooperation held in Beijing.
I have warm memories of our meetings and fruitful discussions
with President Xi Jinping. I am glad that Azerbaijani-Chinese
relations, based on ancient history and good traditions, are
developing in an upward direction and our strategic partnership is
enriched with new positive content. Our active dialogue, mutual
respect and trust, developed on the basis of personal meetings,
telephone conversations and exchanges of letters, are playing a
valuable role in deepening bilateral relations.
I can say with confidence that all previous visits to the
People’s Republic of China had a very rich program and were
accompanied by the signing of a number of important bilateral
documents aimed at expanding the comprehensive Azerbaijani-Chinese
cooperation in line with our mutual interests. I am convinced that
the upcoming visit will also serve to deepen the strategic
partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s
Republic of China.
