BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 18. As part of his
working visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Special
Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Elchin Amirbayov held talks with Dutch officials and discussed
bilateral relations, Trend reports.
The meeting includes key figures such as Aukje de Vries,
Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands; Christiaan Rebergen, Secretary General of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs; Marcel de Vink, Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs; Jost van Doeteveen, Deputy Advisor to the Prime Minister
of the Netherlands on National Security; Koen Petersen, Chairman of
the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Development Committee of the
Dutch Senate; as well as other committee members and influential
government and political figures.
During the meetings, discussions focused on key dimensions of
the bilateral relationship between Azerbaijan and the
Netherlands.
At the meeting, it was emphasized that this year has seen
positive dynamics in political relations between the two countries.
The most significant outcome in this regard was the meeting between
President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Dick Schoof at the
Copenhagen Summit of the European Political Union, where an
agreement was reached to strengthen cooperation in several areas.
It was also noted that meetings between foreign ministers,
consultations between foreign ministries, and mutual visits by
deputy foreign ministers and other officials throughout the year
had contributed to continuous political dialogue.
During the visit, special attention was paid to organising
high-level mutual visits, conducting ongoing political
consultations, and identifying new areas of cooperation. The
current level of cooperation in various fields was reviewed, and
prospects for further development and new priority areas of mutual
interest were discussed.
The parties emphasized that not only intergovernmental dialogue
but also interparliamentary cooperation can contribute to
strengthening trust between countries and deepening mutual
understanding. Topics such as steps that can be taken to develop
relations between the parliaments of both countries, the
organization of mutual visits by parliamentarians, and the
activities of friendship groups were discussed.
Amirbayov briefed the parties on Azerbaijan and Armenia's
peaceful agenda, the necessary conditions for ensuring sustainable
peace in the South Caucasus region, the consistent political line
and concrete steps taken by Azerbaijan in this context, large-scale
restoration and reconstruction work in the liberated territories,
as well as the problems caused by mine contamination of the
territories. The Dutch side, in turn, welcomed the progress in
normalizing relations and expressed its full support for the peace
process.
The meetings also included an exchange of views on the current
state and prospects of Azerbaijani-European relations, bilateral
documents under discussion, and the formation of regional transport
links. It was emphasized that 2025 will be characterized by
positive dynamics in relations between the EU and Azerbaijan, and
the importance of maintaining and further developing this momentum
in the coming months was stressed.
The official emphasized that the document “EU-Armenia Strategic
Partnership Agenda,” adopted in early December this year, does not
reflect the current realities in the region, and expressed hope
that the European Union's efforts to support the normalization
process will contribute to strengthening peace and stability
between Azerbaijan and Armenia, will not undermine trust between
the parties, and will not complicate relations between Azerbaijan
and the EU.
The visit was also important in terms of holding a detailed
exchange of views on strengthening the economic partnership between
Azerbaijan and the Netherlands. In this regard, at a broad meeting
attended by the head of the European Department of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Erik Weststrate, Special Envoy for Trade, Mark
Hasselaar, and the heads of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)
and the Confederation of Industry and Entrepreneurs (VNO-NCW),
opportunities for cooperation in areas such as agriculture, water
management, port infrastructure, transport, logistics, renewable
energy, high technology, urban planning, strengthening trade, and
taking concrete measures to promote mutual investment were
discussed. The Dutch side expressed interest in comprehensive
cooperation with Azerbaijan and stated its support for deepening
relations in potential areas in the near future.
As part of the visit, the Clingendael Institute of International
Relations, the Netherlands' leading think tank, organized a
roundtable discussion. Speaking at the round table, which was
attended by experts specializing in our region, representatives of
the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and leading media outlets,
the representative of the president spoke about the geopolitical
processes taking place in the South Caucasus, the peace process
between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijan's relations with the EU,
NATO, and the Netherlands, and answered numerous questions from
participants.
Throughout his visit, Amirbayov also gave an interview to the
Holland Times newspaper and representatives of think tanks located
in The Hague.
