No:294/24, Press release on the meeting of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom David Lammy
18 July 2024 14:25
On 18 July 2024, a meeting took place between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, and the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Lammy, within the framework of the Summit of the European Political Community held in the city of Woodstock.
During the meeting, various aspects and future prospects of the Azerbaijan–United Kingdom strategic partnership, issues of mutual interest on the regional and international agenda, as well as the current state of the Azerbaijan–Armenia normalization process were discussed.
It was emphasized that there is mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom in all fields, particularly in energy, education, and humanitarian relations, and that Azerbaijan holds special importance as a key trade partner. It was noted that UK companies are successfully operating in both the oil and non-oil sectors of Azerbaijan’s economy, and that there are broad opportunities for further deepening economic cooperation.
In addition, cooperation in the field of green energy between the two countries was reviewed, and the broad prospects for cooperation in this area were appreciated. It was noted that Azerbaijan’s presidency of the COP29 could contribute to strengthening the climate action dimension within the existing cooperation agenda.
Taking into account the mine threat faced by Azerbaijan, the importance of support for our country in the field of humanitarian demining was emphasized.
During the meeting, the sides noted that the existing dialogue, mutual visits and contacts, including political consultations between the two countries, make an important contribution to the development of relations.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov provided information on the current situation in the region, including steps taken by Azerbaijan in the peace process, our country’s position on the normalization of relations with Armenia, as well as reconstruction and restoration works carried out in the liberated territories. Despite significant progress achieved on the text of the peace agreement in negotiations with Armenia, it was emphasized that ongoing claims against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country in Armenia’s Constitution and legislative acts remain a key obstacle to the peace process.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov expressed gratitude for the efforts made within the framework of the European Political Community Summit, at the initiative and with the participation of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to organize a meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and noted that the failure of this meeting due to Armenia’s refusal does not contribute to the peace process.
During the meeting, an exchange of views was also conducted on other bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.