Azerbaijan and North Macedonia end visa regime for official passport holders

During a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and North Macedonian President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova in Baku, the latter announced that they would ‘immediately put an end to the surprising situation of the introduction of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports’.

‘I think that this is a situation that neither North Macedonia nor Azerbaijan are satisfied with, and taking this step will serve to bring the two peoples closer together’, Siljanovska-Davkova said during an official statement to the press on Tuesday.

In addition to ending the visa regime between the two countries for official passport holders, the two discussed increased cooperation in the energy sector.

In his official statement to the press on Tuesday, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijani gas had already been delivered to North Macedonia at the end of 2024, and that they plan to continue supplying the country throughout 2025.

‘In the future, we can increase gas supplies to the necessary volume. Because today we are actively working to commission new gas fields’, Aliyev said.

He also highlighted the increased cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU in terms of gas supply, in particular, emphasising the Declaration on a Strategic Partnership in the Energy Sector between the EU and Azerbaijan, which was signed in Baku in July 2022.

‘Today, Azerbaijani gas ensures the energy security of many European countries, and we have always paid great attention to the requests of our partners in Europe. That is, bilateral cooperation in the energy sector is very important for us, and I hope that this practical cooperation will lead to cooperation in other areas as well’, Aliyev said.

In turn, Siljanovska-Davkova noted that North Macedonia is ‘waiting for a step forward’, clarifying that they would sign a declaration or agreement on cooperation.

‘This does not mean that we will receive assistance from Azerbaijan only in gas supplies, but also opportunities for economic cooperation will arise’, Siljanovska-Davkova said.

Siljanovska-Davkova originally arrived in Azerbaijan as part of an official state visit on Monday, where she was welcomed by Azerbaijan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Fariz Rzayev, and other officials.

In addition to meeting with Aliyev, Siljanovska-Davkova visited Victory Park, where she laid a wreath at the Victory Monument. The park was opened in November 2024 to commemorate Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.Following this, Siljanovska-Davkova visited the Alley of Honour, where she commemorated former President and Ilham Aliyev’s father Heydar Aliyev.

Aliyev and Erdoğan inaugurate new gas pipeline to Nakhchivan

The pipeline will allow Azerbaijan to send gas to its exclave via Turkey, ostensibly reducing the country’s reliance on Iran.

OC MediaXandie (Alexandra) Kuenning