Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received a delegation of the Communist Party of China, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan.

The head of the delegation, Li Jun, said that 2017 was marked by the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and China and the foundation of the New Azerbaijan Party. He gladly highlighted that Azerbaijan’s remarkable development in the past 25 years is praiseworthy.

L. Jun said that China attaches great importance to the deepening of bilateral relations with Azerbaijan and added that it is interested in the continuation of the current development line in the political sphere.

L. Jun once again reiterated the Chinese support to Azerbaijan’s efforts to ensure its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Furthermore, L. Jun thanked the Government of Azerbaijan for its support for the "One Belt - One Road" initiative and underlined that there are vast opportunities for bilateral cooperation in this context. Calling Azerbaijan, the leading country of the region, as an important partner of China, the guest said that the visit of the Communist Party delegation to Azerbaijan as the Special Working Group was the first such kind of visit abroad. He also expressed his hope that this visit would contribute to elevate the relations to a new level.

Welcoming the guests, E.Mammadyarov conveyed his congratulations and best wishes on successful holding of the National Congress of the Communist Party on October 18-24, 2017.

E.Mammadyarov expressed his satisfaction with the development of relations between Azerbaijan and China in all spheres of cooperation. He noted that the further promotion of political dialogue between the two countries would give impetus to the prospect of new cooperation in economic, trade and other spheres.

Noting that there is a successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in multilateral format, E.Mammadyarov particularly highlighted the cooperation within the UN. He regretfully stated that the demands of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council on Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, namely immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenia’s armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan have not been implemented yet. In this regard, E.Mammadyarov thanked the Chinese side for the consistent support of the just position of Azerbaijan. He also reaffirmed Azerbaijan's commitment to the "One China" policy.
E.Mammadyarov pointed out that attempts to change internationally recognized borders of the States by use of force are inadmissible, adding that the principles of respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty are reflected in all political documents signed between Azerbaijan and China.

Referring to bilateral cooperation in the economic sphere, E.Mammadyarov noted that the trade turnover between the two countries does not reflect the level of existing potential and political dialogue. In this area, he mentioned activity of the Intergovernmental Commission which the next meeting will be held next year.

E.Mammadyarov noted that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway started functioning on October 30, 2017 and mentioned that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the development of the East-West and North-South transport corridors. Furthermore, he stated that in this basis Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Way" project offers wide range of favorable opportunities. E.Mammadyarov spoke about the fundamental measures taken to diversify the economy in Azerbaijan, expressed his hope that Chinese companies will be more actively represented in the non-oil sector of the country.

E.Mammadyarov informed the guests about the capital Baku's candidacy to host the EXPO-2025 and talked about the goals and objectives of Azerbaijan in this regard.

The sides also exchanged views on the future prospects of relations in the humanitarian, educational and tourism fields.