Azerbaijan, Ukraine mark 30 years of diplomatic ties

By Sabina Mammadli

Baku has said that Azerbaijan is looking forward to the further strengthening of the strategic partnership with Ukraine.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made the remarks in a statement posted on its official Twitter account on February 6 which marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijani-Ukrainian diplomatic relations.

"Today marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine. We send our best wishes to the government and people of friendly Ukraine on this occasion. We look forward to further strengthening of our strategic partnership!" the ministry tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also tweeted that Azerbaijan and Ukraine remain good friends and strategic partners.

"OTD we celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Both states remain good friends and strategic partners. We continue to deepen our strategic relations and bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation!" the Ukrainian ministry added.

As reported earlier, President Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. 

"It is pleasant to see that our interstate ties based on mutual trust, confidence and support in these years have evolved to elevate to the level of the strategic partnership while our collaboration in political, economic, energy and humanitarian fields has broadened its coverage," said the letter.

Aliyev emphasized the importance of today's high-level political dialogue, numerous mutual visits, signed documents and jointly implemented projects coupled with the successful activities of the Intergovernmental Commission in defining new pathways.

Further, he expressed confidence in fostering and broadening the Azerbaijani – Ukrainian relations through joint efforts.

In the early 1990s, Azerbaijan and Ukraine gained their independence from the Soviet Union and started a close friendship with establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. The relations of strategic cooperation, political, economical, and cultural ties between two countries are at a very high level. 

In 2001, the two countries founded the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM), along with Georgia and Moldova. Azerbaijan currently plays an important role in both the organization and the foreign policy of Ukraine due to its strategic role in the region.