Baku, Oct 23 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held “very productive” talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku on Friday and discussed ways to bolster cooperation in trade and investment, energy, tourism and connectivity.
Jaishankar, who arrived in Baku on Friday on a day-long visit to review bilateral ties, also discussed regional and international developments, and cooperation within multilateral frameworks.
In his press statement, Jaishankar said the discussions were “very productive” and have helped to determine a pathway forward for ties between the two countries.
“Our talks dwelt on further expanding our bilateral relations. We spoke about economic cooperation, including in trade, investment and energy, which are central to our bilateral ties. Given our complementary economies, we believe that there is very good scope for further enhancement of our bilateral trade and investment,” he said.
They also discussed various activities and exchanges, and how to take them forward.
“We spoke about connectivity, because that is so important in a globalised economy. We are both invested in the International North-South Transport Corridor. That’s very important for us. We agreed today that we will coordinate more closely in that regard,” he said.
The INSTC is a 7,200-km long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe. India has been supporting the project.
Later, in a post on X, Jaishankar said the two sides agreed to deepen political consultations, exchange visits, enhance economic activities, build connectivity and foster people-to-people ties.
Bayramov said he was delighted to welcome Jaishankar to exchange views on the current state and prospects of Azerbaijan–India relations, including political dialogue, trade and investment, energy, tourism, and cultural ties.
“We also discussed regional and international developments, and cooperation within multilateral frameworks. Emphasised the importance of continued dialogue and exploring opportunities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest,” he posted on X.
In his press remarks, Jaishankar said the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in the oil and energy sector and also expand it to other areas.
On air connectivity, he said there are daily flights, but to deepen ties, the two sides have to think about how to grow that further.
He thanked Bayramov for evacuating Indian nationals, particularly students from Iran earlier this year, during the conflict.
“We have Indian students in Azerbaijan. I want to thank you for the care and consideration with which you look after them,” he added.
He suggested resuming and increasing the number of Azerbaijani professionals from various domains to utilise the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme.
Stating that India has been monitoring developments in this region carefully, he welcomed the August peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia and hoped that it would lead to a durable peace.
“India has a very clear position that disputes should be settled through dialogue and diplomacy. And in that context, we had, of course, our discussions covered the Middle East, Europe and Eurasia,” he said.
Jaishankar said the two sides assessed the global implications of these conflicts, because they have created a big problem, particularly for Global South economies in food, in fuel, in fertiliser and in finance.
“We have a common interest in really promoting peace and progress and prosperity,” he said, adding that threats like terrorism, conflict and instability are “our common enemies.”
“We exchanged views on reforming and expanding international and regional organisations, making them more contemporary and relevant,” he added.
He also invited Bayramov to visit India soon at his convenience.
Jaishankar, who earlier called on President Ilham Aliyev and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties, said he conveyed greetings from President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi to him.
He recalled the recent meeting between Modi and Aliyev on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek and said his visit to Baku is a follow-up to that meeting.
“Our discussions were focused; they were forward-looking, and we exchanged views on various aspects of our relationship. In fact, the President was kind enough to give a lot of time to review really the entire gamut of our ties, including ongoing cooperation, what we could be doing more, what we could be doing differently,” he said.
“We also discussed important regional and global developments from a strategic perspective,” he said, asserting that both countries are independent-minded and can make their own call on the important issues.
The two sides also agreed to exchange trade delegations and delegations in other areas of cooperation.
Noting that the two countries have a long history of cultural and people-to-people exchanges, he said, “We respect each other’s culture and values, and that provides a very good foundation to work towards a more contemporary partnership.”
He said that mechanisms such as the Foreign Office Consultations help to provide a more detailed, granular roadmap for both sides to develop bilateral ties. “Just recently, our Minister of State, my deputy, visited Baku to attend the 7th Summit of the CICA. And we highly value the Azerbaijani chairship of the CICA,” he said.
Azerbaijan holds the current Chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
(PTI News)
