President Ilham Aliyev receives Vice-Chairperson of National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Chairperson of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Azernews reports.

Praising the successful development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and China, the head of state noted that these ties are based on principles of friendship, mutual understanding, and support.

Fondly recalling his meetings with Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, President Ilham Aliyev described these meetings as demonstrations of friendly relations and expressed eagerness for their next meeting.

The head of state mentioned real opportunities to elevate bilateral relations to a higher level and noted that the two countries are already cooperating very closely across various areas. The President highlighted the recent increase in reciprocal official visits between Azerbaijan and China at different levels, which serves to strengthen bilateral bonds.

Praising growth in the economic, trade, and transportation sectors, President Ilham Aliyev expressed satisfaction with the increased mutual travel between the peoples.

The head of state expressed confidence that Shen Yueyue’s visit to Azerbaijan would be productive, contribute to strengthening friendly relations, and provide a good opportunity to discuss prospects for cooperation.

Expressing gratitude for the reception and kind words, Shen Yueyue said: “You have been a friend of Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, and the Chinese people for many years. First of all, I would like to convey the greetings and best wishes of the President of the People's Republic of China to you. In recent years, under your resolute and wise leadership, the Azerbaijani people have demonstrated unity and progressed along the path of development. Your country has witnessed sustainable stability and rapid economic development, and Azerbaijan's strength has significantly increased.”

Shen Yueyue emphasized that China supports the Azerbaijani people's choice regarding their development path and Azerbaijan's active international interaction on South-South cooperation to tackle global climate change.

She noted that Azerbaijan's influence in the world is constantly increasing, which makes China happy as the country's close friend and reliable partner.

Touching on the presidential election held in Azerbaijan, Shen Yueyue emphasized the head of state’s resounding victory in this election. She extended her congratulations, describing it as a testament to strong support for President Ilham Aliyev’s policies by the Azerbaijani people. Shen Yueyue wished the Azerbaijani people, whom the Chinese people consider close, new successes on the development path. Noting that Xi Jinping and the President of Azerbaijan have outlined plans for future development of bilateral relations between the two countries, she expressed confidence that with the strategic leadership of the two heads of state, China-Azerbaijan relations will enter a new stage and contribute to the prosperity of both countries’ peoples.

The head of state expressed gratitude for the greetings, congratulations, and kind words from the President of the People's Republic of China and asked Shen Yueyue to communicate his greetings to President Xi Jinping as well.

President Ilham Aliyev emphasized Azerbaijan's consistent support for China's territorial integrity and its "One China" policy. “A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan reiterated this support and condemned the elections held in Taiwan.” The head of state also highlighted the prevalence of trends supporting separatism and policies based on double standards globally.

Shen Yueyue emphasized that the People's Republic of China has always supported Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. She expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for its support of the "One China" policy.

President Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan's policies are driven by its national interests. He noted that Azerbaijan, as a friend and partner, is happy with China's, in particular, Chinese economy’s achievements, under the leadership of Xi Jinping. The head of state emphasized China's significance in the global economy and its role in global economic development.

Shen Yueyue congratulated Azerbaijan on hosting COP29 and touched on the cooperation issues within this framework.

The head of state noted that Azerbaijan is part of the Global South and defends the interests of these countries within the Non-Aligned Movement framework. Furthermore, President Ilham Aliyev underlined that Azerbaijan would spare no effort to represent the interests of Global South countries within the COP29 framework.

The head of state noted pointed out that Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with the People's Republic of China within the COP29 framework, and Azerbaijan's COP29 delegation visited China for discussions.

During the meeting, satisfaction was expressed with the development of relations between the ruling parties - the New Azerbaijan Party and the Communist Party of China. Members of the Chinese delegation highlighted the projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in various countries around the world and underlined that the cooperation with Chinese respective organizations within people-to-people diplomacy contributes to the development of relations between the two countries.

President Ilham Aliyev touched upon cooperation between the ruling parties, highlighting the importance of cultural-humanitarian events facilitated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and China’s various organizations on the basis of the people-to-people diplomacy.

During the discussion, they noted Chinese companies' great interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the renewable energy sector. Discussions also revolved around production of electric buses, electric cars, and renewable energy facilities and the Chinese companies’ investments in this sector.

They hailed the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and China across various sectors, including political, economic, investment, transportation, green energy, and people-to-people diplomacy, which propelled China-Azerbaijan relations to qualitatively new level. Discussions included mutual support, the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, the development of the Middle Corridor, and other mutually beneficial issues.