Azerbaijan, Netherlands agree to expand political, economic co-op

Mutual interest in deepening the bilateral partnership between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands has been confirmed in The Hague, Report informs.

During his working visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Elchin Amirbayov, the Azerbaijani president's representative on special assignments, held meetings with Aukje de Vries, minister for foreign trade and development of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Christiaan Rebergen, secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Marcel de Vink, deputy minister of foreign affairs, Deputy National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Joost van Deutekom, current Chairman of the Dutch Senate's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Cooperation Koen Petersen; and other committee members, as well as with a number of prominent government and political figures.

During the meetings, views were exchanged on key areas of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands. It was noted that positive dynamics have been observed in political relations between the two countries this year. The agreement to expand cooperation in a number of areas, reached during the meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Dick Schoof on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen in October of this year, was highlighted as one of the most important results. It was also noted that meetings of foreign ministers, consultations between the ministries, and mutual visits at the level of deputy ministers and other officials throughout the year contributed to maintaining a stable political dialogue.

During the meetings held during the visit, special attention was paid to organizing high-level reciprocal visits, holding regular political consultations, and identifying new areas of cooperation. The parties reviewed the current state of cooperation in various areas, discussed prospects for further development, and new priority areas of mutual interest.

The parties emphasized that not only intergovernmental dialogue but also interparliamentary cooperation can contribute to strengthening trust and deepening mutual understanding between countries and peoples. Possible steps to develop relations between the parliaments of the two countries, the organization of reciprocal visits by members of parliament, the activities of friendship groups, and other issues were discussed.

During the meetings, Amirbayov also briefed his interlocutors on the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the necessary conditions for ensuring sustainable peace in the South Caucasus region, and Azerbaijan's consistent policy and concrete steps in this direction. He also spoke about the large-scale restoration and reconstruction work in the liberated territories and the humanitarian difficulties associated with mine contamination. The Dutch side, in turn, welcomed the progress towards normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan and expressed its full support for the peace process.