Azerbaijan's Bayramov: We do not want to witness double standards against Azerbaijan

During the one-on-one and extended meetings, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister and the newly appointed Belgian Foreign Minister exchanged views on bilateral relations between Belgium and Azerbaijan, as well as on Azerbaijan's relations and projects with the European Union, as well as on regional issues, Azernews reports.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister: Belgium has received $250 million in investments from Azerbaijan

"Belgium's investment in Azerbaijan is $120 million and Azerbaijan's investment in Belgium is $250 million," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov said at a joint briefing with his Belgian counterpart Hajja Lahbib.

“18 Belgian companies are operating in Azerbaijan. The trade turnover between our countries made up about $80 million in 2022. Despite this year’s growth, we believe that this turnover does not fully reflect the relations between our countries,” Azerbaijani FM added.

According to Bayramov, the meeting also discussed Azerbaijan's increasing role in the energy security of EU member states in recent years, as well as recently implemented projects.

Minister Bayramov: We do not want to witness double standards against Azerbaijan in the coming years

"Khadija Labib advised us to focus on the future rather than the past. She said that Belgium will take over the presidency of the European Union next January. I wish this presidency to be successful," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov said at a joint briefing with Belgian Foreign Minister Khadija Labib.

"We hope and expect that there will be no double standards against Azerbaijan in the coming years. We are aware of the fact of how sensitive some European countries are to separatism and what important decisions they take. We would like them to understand the nature of the step before giving an opinion on any work carried out by Azerbaijan. Armenia's separatist and provocative steps cannot be taken so easily as a humanitarian issue," the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister said.

Belgian Foreign Minister: We seek to deepen relations with Azerbaijan

"We want to deepen Azerbaijani-Belgian relations," Belgian Foreign Minister Hajja Lahbib said at a joint briefing with his Azerbaijani counterpart on Thursday.

"We discussed bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Belgium and issues related to investments. It was a good opportunity to speak out on various issues at today's meeting," Lahbib said.

Hajja Lahbib: We consider Azerbaijan an important partner in the European Union

"We consider Azerbaijan an important partner in the European Union. The EU respects this relationship and we would like to develop this cooperation further," Belgian Foreign Minister Hajja Lahbib said at a joint briefing with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ceyhun Bayramov.

The Belgian minister said that Azerbaijan plays a very important role in ensuring energy supply in Europe, and thanked Azerbaijan for its assistance to Ukraine.

Belgian Foreign Minister: Azerbaijan is taking steps towards sustainable peace

"We know that Azerbaijan is taking steps towards sustainable peace. A few days ago I told the Armenian Foreign Minister that this is a historic opportunity to benefit from dialogue," Belgian Foreign Minister Hajja Lahbib said at a joint briefing with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ceyhun Bayramov.
The Belgian foreign minister also said that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty should be respected. "We support this," she added.