BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 6. Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Andrii Sybiha has thanked Azerbaijan for its humanitarian
aid.
He made the remark during a press conference with his
Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, who is on an official
visit to Ukraine.
"We are grateful to Azerbaijan for its assistance from the first
days of the full-scale invasion: for the restoration of civilian
infrastructure in Irpen, humanitarian aid, equipment for energy
facilities, and much more. We'll always remember this. We thank the
President of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani people, and the government
of Azerbaijan," he said.
Sybiha highly appreciated Azerbaijan's principled position in
support of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
"Ukraine has also always supported and continues to support
Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is the
unwavering foundation of our relations," he added.
Furthermore, Sybiha noted that over the past and current years,
we have seen a new dynamic in the strategic partnership between
Ukraine and Azerbaijan, as well as an intensification of contacts
at all levels.
The foreign minister stated that Ukraine views Bayramov's visit
as another element of this new and positive dynamic.
"In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a
historic visit to Azerbaijan. The head of state held substantive
talks with President Ilham Aliyev. We also concluded important
bilateral agreements. Several other important visits by
high-ranking Ukrainian officials took place. By the way, this
dynamic of meetings and political contacts is also having a
positive impact on our bilateral trade turnover, which has begun to
grow. We have set ourselves the goal of reaching pre-war levels.
This figure has now reached approximately $600 million," he
said.
Sybiha announced that today the parties held substantive talks
on the entire spectrum of bilateral issues.
"Energy remains a priority for Ukraine. This includes our
preparations for the winter and strengthening energy security in
the region. We also placed significant emphasis on developing
mutually beneficial economic, investment, and humanitarian
cooperation. We highly value the investments of Azerbaijani
companies. Azerbaijani businesses operated in Ukraine before the
war and continue to do so today. We look forward to expanding their
presence and implementing new joint projects, including strategic
ones," the Ukrainian minister added.
He pointed out that the parties have agreed and are already
working on holding the next meeting of our bilateral
intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation.
"We also discussed the security situation in the South Caucasus
and the Middle East. For my part, I briefed my colleague on the
peace process and Ukraine's efforts to end Russian aggression.
Azerbaijan's role and voice in this matter are extremely important.
Much has changed in both Ukraine and Azerbaijan over the years of
independence, but the friendship, mutual respect, and support
between our peoples remain unchanged," Sybiha said.
