The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Bilateral diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on the 31st of December 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on the 11th of March 1992.
The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the United Kingdom was established in January 1994. The Embassy of the United Kingdom in the Republic of Azerbaijan has been active since September 1993.
The United Kingdom was one of the first Western countries to recognize the regained independence of Azerbaijan. The visit of the National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, to the United Kingdom in 1994, and his meeting with the British Prime Minister, John Major, as well as the documents they signed laid the foundation for a long-term and mutually beneficial co-operation between our countries.
On the 3rd to the 5th of February 2016, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, paid a working visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”.
On the 26th of April 2018, after the swearing-in ceremony of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani President, instead of returning to Azerbaijan from his visit to Türkiye, paid a second visit to London the next day at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mrs Theresa May.
Inter-parliamentary relations
On the 7th of March 1997, a working group on Azerbaijan-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Relations was established in the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The group is chaired by Javanshir Feyziyev.
In 2014, the United Kingdom-Azerbaijan Friendship Group on Inter-Parliamentary Relations was established in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The group is chaired by Mr Bob Blackman.
Contractual and legal framework
In total, twenty-six documents were signed between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom.
Economic co-operation
The strategic energy partnership between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom is rooted in history. Our co-operation dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the early years of the 20th century, British companies invested heavily in oil companies in Baku. In 1904, Britain met 47 per cent of its demand for kerosene thanks to Baku.
The United Kingdom is the largest investor in the Azerbaijani economy; the volume of investments is US$ 30.6 billion. Azerbaijan has invested US$ 2.4 billion in the United Kingdom.
About 600 British companies, which are experts in industry, agriculture, trade, services, construction, transport and communications have been registered in Azerbaijan.
Trade relations between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom(In millions of U.S. dollars)
|
Years |
Imports |
Exports |
Trade turnover |
|
2016 |
495.22 |
57.24 |
552.46 |
|
2017 |
240 |
41 |
281 |
|
2018 |
263.7 |
261.5 |
525.2 |
|
2019 |
232.6 |
472 |
704.6 |
|
2020 |
296.97 |
157.53 |
454.5 |
Source: State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan
In March 2015, the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom was established and the commission has held 4 meetings so far.
The British-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce was established in May 2021.
On the 20th of September 1994, the Government of Azerbaijan and a group of international oil companies representing eight countries signed the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) Production Sharing Agreement, which later became known as the “Contract of the Century”, for the development of an area that covered three major oil fields in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea: Azeri, Chirag and Deep Water Gunashli (ACG). The Contract of the Century was then extended in September 2017 until mid-century (2050). Also Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) have been signed with BP for the Shah Deniz, Inam, Shafag-Asiman and Absheron Peninsula shallow water projects, and successful co-operation has been established as part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and Southern Gas Pipeline Corridor projects.
Diplomatic mission
Address of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
4 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL, UK
Official website: www.stockholm.mfa.gov.az