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.
