Andrej Babiš invites Ilham Aliyev to visit Czech Republic

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has invited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to pay an official visit to the Czech Republic, Report informs.

"I intend to further develop relations between our countries and am pleased to invite President Ilham Aliyev and his wife to visit the Czech Republic," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Babiš noted that in January, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he promised President Ilham Aliyev that his first trip outside the European Union would be to Azerbaijan, and expressed satisfaction with having fulfilled his promise.

"Thank you for the friendly and, most importantly, very concrete talks. Our countries have strong ties and enormous potential for trade cooperation," he emphasized.

According to the prime minister, the parties expressed their readiness to expand cooperation in other areas, emphasizing their interest in concluding a long-term gas supply contract.

He said that representatives of ČEZ are participating in the negotiations, expressing confidence in the successful completion of this process.

He also noted that President Ilham Aliyev has initiated the creation of an intergovernmental economic commission focused on developing energy and industrial cooperation.

It will be chaired on the Czech side by Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček, and on the Azerbaijani side by Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov.

The parties also discussed a number of specific projects, including the development of Karlovy Vary Airport, as well as cooperation with Czech companies.

Babiš added that Czech defense companies are already significant suppliers to Azerbaijan.