Ilham Aliyev held expanded meeting with President of Italy Sergio Mattarella

AZERBAIJAN, September 30 - On September 30, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, held an expanded meeting with Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Mr. President,

Distinguished guests,

I sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan. We attach great importance to your visit. This is a manifestation of the relations of friendship and partnership between Italy and Azerbaijan.

We meet quite often in Rome. At the same time, this is your second official visit to Azerbaijan. During our meeting last year, I invited you to Azerbaijan, so I thank you for accepting my invitation. Today, the development of Italian-Azerbaijani relations is evident. We have already discussed several important issues. Our cooperation is multifaceted. We can state that it covers many areas, from energy to industrial production. Currently, our collaboration, which also covers the education sector, is of truly strategic importance, and I can say that the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed five years ago, is being fully implemented.

Our relations are also crucial for the development of the region in which we are located and have a positive impact on our relations with the European Union. Italy has always supported our efforts to build closer relations with the European Union, and we are grateful to you for that.

Of course, there are many significant results in the energy sector. We have already talked about this. We will now continue this discussion in a broader format. Of course, we can rightly congratulate each other on the results already achieved. But our plans are broader. The implementation of new projects in the energy sector, both in a bilateral format with Italy and with the European Union as a whole, is very important, and we are successfully working on these issues.

Tomorrow there will also be a wonderful event — we will jointly participate in the opening of the new building of the Italy-Azerbaijan University. This is, in fact, our friendship project. Only three years have passed from the start of the project to its implementation. In 2022, I issued a relevant Order, and hundreds of students are already involved in education. Of course, they will become ambassadors of Italian-Azerbaijani friendship. They will both receive a wonderful education and further strengthen the friendship between us.

I greet you once again and say ‘Welcome!’”

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Italian President Sergio Mattarella said:

Mr. President, I am deeply grateful for your warm reception. As I mentioned earlier during our previous meeting, I am very pleased to be back in Baku. As you noted, I recall my visit seven years ago. During that visit, we were able to provide significant support to TAP. I am grateful to you for that.

At the same time, I also fondly remember your very important visits to Rome. Our conversations have always been a symbol of friendship and cooperation. For my part, I emphasized that we fully support the strategic partnership between our countries. Our cooperation is steadily growing, expanding, and encompassing various fields. Regarding tomorrow’s event, I thank you for your invitation to join you at the opening ceremony of the Italy-Azerbaijan University campus.

Our partnership is not limited to economic fields or the crucially important energy and industrial sectors. It also extends to culture and education for our youth. This demonstrates the magnitude and strength of our collaboration.

I express my gratitude for the invitation and believe that it will further expand our cooperation while also contributing to your relations with the European Union.

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Italian President Sergio Mattarella emphasized that COP29 was held excellently in Azerbaijan and highlighted the importance of the decisions adopted at the event. He also congratulated the head of state on the results achieved in Washington regarding the normalization of relations and the peace agenda between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the congratulations.