President Ilham Aliyev receives Governor of Astrakhan Oblast of Russian Federation [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received Igor Babushkin, Governor of the Astrakhan Region of the Russian Federation, Azernews reports.

During the meeting, the sides praised the successful development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation across various sectors, emphasizing the contribution of cooperation with various regions of Russia, including the Astrakhan region, to these efforts.

Highlighting the recent successful visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Russia, they noted that this trip demonstrated further strengthening of bilateral ties. The head of state hailed the fact that participants of a joint meeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Baikal-Amur Mainline, held during his visit to Moscow with railway veterans and workers alongside the Russian President, greatly honored the contributions of the National Leader to the realization of this project. The head of state emphasized that this demonstrates the sincerity of bilateral relations and evoked feelings of pride.

The governor of the Astrakhan Region first congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his resounding victory in the presidential election, describing it as a testament to the unwavering trust of the Azerbaijani people in the head of state.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the congratulations and kind words.

Igor Babushkin noted that a series of large-scale ceremonial events were held last year in Astrakhan on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. He presented the head of state with a commemorative photo album depicting these events.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked Astrakhan for honoring the memory of the National Leader in high regard, saying that it was an example of friendship between the two countries and peoples.

The Governor of the Astrakhan Region expressed gratitude for the Azerbaijani government's support of the motorcycle rally they organized under the slogan "Caspian - Sea of Friendship," which spanned the Caspian littoral countries and symbolized friendship.

During the conversation, they highlighted the importance of the projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Astrakhan.

The meeting included an exchange of ideas on the prospects for cooperation.