Presidents of Azerbaijan and United Arab Emirates hold expanded meeting [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has held an expanded meeting with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The meeting was attended by brother of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and son of the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed Al Nahyan.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Mr. President, Dear Brother,

Honorable guests,

Welcome to Azerbaijan.

Your visit to Azerbaijan is a historic event, marking the first official visit of the President of the United Arab Emirates to Azerbaijan. I am confident that this visit will contribute significantly to the development of friendship and brotherhood between our two countries.

Yesterday, during the official reception, we thoroughly discussed many issues and once again reaffirmed our strategic partnership.

I am pleased that our personal meetings are becoming regular. Last month, we met in Abu Dhabi.

Seizing this opportunity, I once again congratulate you on the successful organization of COP28. I express my gratitude for the support extended to Azerbaijan regarding the hosting of COP29.

I would like to take this opportunity once again to express special appreciation for your position in the United Nations Security Council, for your support of Azerbaijan.

Today, a multitude of crucial documents have been signed, and a ceremony for the exchange of these documents is scheduled shortly. I am confident that these agreements will form a sturdy foundation for our future cooperation.

Our cooperation is multifaceted, spanning many areas. In the recent past, significant strides have been taken in the energy sector, particularly in the field of green energy. In October of last year, a 230-megawatt solar power plant was inaugurated in Azerbaijan, made possible through investments from your country. This is just the first step. Based on the signed contracts and memoranda of understanding, investments from your country are planned to facilitate the production of 10 gigawatts of green energy in Azerbaijan.

Two more important documents were signed in Baku last month. Based on one of these documents, signed between the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, a Joint Investment Fund was established with a financial capacity of one billion dollars. The second noteworthy document is related to the information and communication sector.

We highly appreciate this because under your leadership, your country has attained remarkable success, establishing itself as one of the most developed and successful nations in the world. I know that your successful experience serves as an example for many countries.

I am confident that your visit will cement our strategic partnership and further enhance the friendly and brotherly relations between our two peoples. Once again, welcome.

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Addressing the meeting, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said:

- Mr. President, I am very pleased to visit Azerbaijan. I express my gratitude to you for the hospitality and warm welcome. I am particularly pleased with the negotiations we had yesterday during the official reception and the agreements we have reached regarding the prospects of relations between our two countries. Mr. President, I wish your country and your people a successful year.

We would like to highlight the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership signed today between the two countries. The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding gives strategic significance to the relations between our countries. We will mobilize our efforts to develop ties and cooperation in trade, economic, industrial, agricultural, cultural, and educational sectors.

The relations between the two countries are progressing in an upward trajectory, and we witness continuous development and success in various areas. In the United Arab Emirates, we are also ready to develop cooperation between the two countries across various areas for the prosperity and flourishing of both nations and peoples.

As you have noted, the development of our relations is in its infancy. We, in turn, are mobilizing our efforts towards strengthening relations and creating new bridges between our countries.

Mr. President, I would like to once again extend my congratulations to you as Azerbaijan was chosen as the venue for COP29 this year. This, in turn, is a testament to the world's trust in Azerbaijan, and I wish you success on this occasion. As we noted during our previous meeting in Dubai, Azerbaijan is certainly capable and ready to host such prestigious events.

Mr. President, I want to once again express my gratitude for the hospitality, warm reception, and especially for the wonderful more than two hours that we spent together yesterday - I truly enjoyed our two-hour meeting.

Mr. President, as I mentioned yesterday, consider all the experience of the United Arab Emirates at your disposal. We are ready to share our expertise with you in all areas, especially regarding the organization of COP29.

As you know, the United Arab Emirates has extensive experience in many fields, and we are always ready to share it with brotherly countries like yours. However, there are also certain aspects and areas where we, too, are learning. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

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President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

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The meeting was followed by a ceremony to exchange signed documents as part of the visit.

The trip featured the signing of several key agreements, including the “Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates”, “Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Finance of the United Arab Emirates”, “Protocol of Intent between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates”, “Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between ADA University and Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy”, “Memorandum of Understanding on Investment Cooperation on electricity transmission projects between the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Investment of the United Arab Emirates”, “Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation on enhancing the use of renewable and clean energy potential of Azerbaijan and enabling Green Energy Export Operations”, “Calendar of Events for the implementation of 1GW solar and onshore wind projects in Azerbaijan” and the “Strategic Cooperation Agreement between ADNOC and SOCAR”.

The negotiations continued during a one-on-one meeting.