FM: UK values its relationship with Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Boris Johnson have had an exchange of congratulatory letters on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Mammadyarov, in the letter addressed to his British counterpart, mentioned that Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom have managed to establish solid and constructive dialogue over the years that have brought mutual benefits to the nations, Azertac reported.

He added that the two countries continue to work closely in maintaining the international peace and security.

The minister further noted that the economic ties between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom, particularly involvement of BP in implementation of regional energy projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipelines constitute the backbone of the bilateral cooperation.

Mammadyarov expressed a belief that new dialogue formats, including bilateral policy dialogue and joint Intergovernmental Economic Commission will serve to further deepen the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom.

Johnson, in his letter addressed to Elmar Mammadyarov, noted that his country has valued its relationship with Azerbaijan over the last quarter century.

Boris Johnson stating the importance of this year for the UK-Azerbaijan bilateral relationship mentioned that he is delighted with the cooperation in energy field.

He also noted that his country remains committed to supporting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs on the peaceful settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson expressed his conviction to continued cooperation and further deepening of the relationship on a range of issues of mutual interest to the two countries

The UK and Azerbaijan enjoy cooperation in different spheres such as education, trade, tourism, ICT, as well as other infrastructure and transit projects.

The cooperation in the energy sector is currently the key factor of the bilateral economic relations between the two countries. Azerbaijan cooperates with the United Kingdom in the field of exploration and transportation of oil and natural gas from the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. BP as a leading oil company, which has launched its operations in Azerbaijan in 1992, participates in the main production sharing agreements such as the “Contract of Century” (Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli) and the Shah Deniz project.

The United Kingdom recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on 26 December 1991. The diplomatic relations between two countries were established on 11 March 1992. The British Embassy was opened in Baku in September 1993 and the Azerbaijani Embassy in London in January 1994.