Azerbaijan, Egypt gearing up for significant milestone in bilateral relations

By Elnur Enveroglu

President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Egypt strengthened the foundations for mutual relations and cooperation between Baku and Cairo, which aims at covering almost all business spheres.

It is necessary to remind that the meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on economic, technical, and scientific cooperation between Azerbaijan and Egypt took place in 2022, and at that meeting, negotiations were held between the two countries regarding the development of trade, industry, mutual investment, education, culture, and tourism. Even in February of the same year, an Azerbaijani-Egyptian business forum was organized with the participation of business representatives of the two countries. Furthermore, the fifth meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Technical, and Scientific Cooperation between the two states had a significant impact on further enhancing cooperation in a number of areas.

Following the results of the meeting, the protocol of the fifth meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Technical, and Scientific Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Arab Republic of Egypt and several documents were signed.

As a reference to earlier, diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on March 27, 1992. The Egyptian Embassy in Baku has been functioning since April 1993, and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Cairo since January 1994. The year 1994 also coincides with the historical visit of the national leader Heydar Aliyev to Egypt, which had a significant role in the development of the ties between the countries.

The well-laid foundations played an exceptional role in further strengthening the relations between Egypt and Azerbaijan and in developing them in the comprehensive field today. The foresight of President Ilham Aliyev and the strong policy that has been continuously pursued as inherited by the Great Leader until today is yielding the most positive results.

Today, in the true sense of the word, there is great potential for the development of economic and trade relations between Baku and Cairo.

During the last visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Egypt, the development of relations in energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, various fields of industry, transport, and other fields were already discussed. Egypt is a large country with a population of just under 100 million, a large market, and a strategic geographic location. The country is located in a very geostrategic location with access to Africa, the Middle East, and other regions.

It should be noted that before that, the President of Egypt visited Azerbaijan in January 2023. For this reason, the visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Egypt was a turning point in the development of bilateral relations.

In addition, many common values ??unite Azerbaijan and Egypt. Thus, the close cooperation and mutual support of Azerbaijan and Egypt in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Non-Aligned Movement and other international formats adds a synergy to those values.

In addition, the contributions of Azerbaijan and Egypt to the strengthening of Islamic solidarity are of special importance. In this regard, Egypt and Azerbaijan make an important contribution to the strengthening of Islamic solidarity in the world and the development of moderate Islam.

It is no coincidence that the President of Azerbaijan discussed issues of cooperation between the two countries in the religious and spiritual sphere while in Egypt. During the visit, President Ilham Aliyev met with the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Sharif, Grand Imam Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb. The head of state noted that Azerbaijan hosts significant events to promote dialogue among religions, cultures, and civilizations, thus contributing to interfaith dialogue. During the conversation with the religious leader, President Ilham Aliyev also spoke about the mosques destroyed because of the Armenian vandalism during the occupation in Garabagh and informed about the reconstruction of those mosques based on Azerbaijan's own funds in recent days. The Azerbaijani President also invited grand imam Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed El-Tayeb to visit Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is a country that constantly contributes to Islamic solidarity, and attaches great importance to issues that are of concern to the Islamic world. Azerbaijan has always had a fair and principled position on the Palestinian issue. Azerbaijan is a supporter of the solution of the Palestinian issue based on the two-state principle, with East Al-Quds as the capital, based on the 1967 borders. Azerbaijan has always tried to promote these principles even when it chaired the NAM. Despite some recent claims, Azerbaijan's diversification of this principled position in Egypt, which is one of the centres of the Arab Islamic world, is of particular importance.

The warm meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is a clear manifestation of continuous relations and promising avenues between the two countries.

After that, the areas to be developed thanks to mutual cooperation will include infrastructure development, oil and gas, information and communication technology (ICT), and pharmaceuticals. Because expanding cooperation in these sectors in the near future foreshadows a deepening of economic ties between the two countries.

Thus, Azerbaijan, which is considered a reliable ally of the West and is especially known as a guarantor of the energy security of European countries, does not lag behind in its relations with Eastern and Islamic countries. The foreign policy of Azerbaijan, the political course aimed at the development of cooperation in all directions in the world, opens wider horizons for it.

Relying on its political will and strategic partnership experience, Baku, which resolved the Garabagh conflict in a short time, is expanding its relations with the countries of the region, Iran, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the European Union. Azerbaijan already has a say not only in the Caucasus region but also among the leading countries of the world. The visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Egypt also demonstrated that Azerbaijan's relations with the Arab world, which has a large and historical geography, are at a high level.