Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, met Monday with his Serbian counterpart Marko Djuric, who is on an official visit to the country.
The minister first held the one-on-one meeting, followed by the meeting in an expanded format with the participation of delegations of the two countries.
The meeting centered on political, economic, trade, investment, energy, transport and communications, as well as humanitarian and other aspects of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Serbia, including the issues of regional and international security.
Azerbaijani FM Bayramov emphasized that high-level mutual visits, political dialogue and the dynamics of inter-parliamentary relations have been instrumental in developing current strategic partnership between the two countries. He also underscored the importance of establishing the Strategic Partnership Council between Azerbaijan and Serbia as part of the high-level contacts, as well as the significance of using these kinds of mechanisms of political consultations in terms of discussing opportunities for further deepening the strategic partnership.
The sides lauded the exemplary dynamics of the two countries' bilateral relations are reflected in mutual support and solidarity within regional and international organizations. The intensity of the work of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, aimed at deepening sectoral collaboration, was also recognized as commendable.
They discussed the development of relations in humanitarian, educational, scientific, and cultural fields, as well as the implementation of a visa-free regime between the two countries. The importance of ongoing twinning between Azerbaijan's Shusha and Serbia's Novi Pazar towns was also highlighted. Additionally, they emphasized the new opportunities for cooperation created by the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Minister Bayramov provided the Serbian counterpart with a detailed update on the current situation and realities in the region during the post-conflict period, large-scale restoration and construction projects implemented in the liberated territories, as well as mine threat impeding these activities. He also invited the Serbian companies to actively participate in the restoration and reconstruction of the Karabakh and East Zangezur regions.
Touching upon the normalization of relations and peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, FM Bayramov reported progress in advancing the peace agenda, including developments in the delimitation process.
However, he noted that some Armenian legislative acts, including the country's constitution, still contain territorial claims against Azerbaijan. He also pointed out that Armenia's rapid militarization poses a challenge to the peace process.
Serbian Minister Marko Djuric congratulated Azerbaijan on the transparent, free and democratic parliamentary elections held on September 1, expressing hope that outcomes of the elections would be successful for the Azerbaijani parliament.
The meeting also focused on other issues of mutual interest.
Following the meeting, ADA University and the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia inked a Memorandum of Understanding.
