China’s President Xi Jinping congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, News.Az reports.

“On the occasion of your birthday, I extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes to you,” Xi Jinping said in his congratulatory message.

He stressed that China and Azerbaijan are traditional friendly partners.

“Currently, Chinese-Azerbaijani relations are developing very well and steadily, the political mutual trust is constantly strengthening, and cooperation across various areas is yielding fruitful results. I highly appreciate the efforts you have made to strengthen bilateral relations. In September of last year, we had a successful meeting in the city of Samarkand, where important agreements were reached on advancing bilateral relations into a new era,” the Chinese leader said.

“I attach great importance to the development of relations between China and Azerbaijan, and I am ready to continue my efforts alongside you to elevate bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation to a new level for the benefit of our countries and peoples,” he added.