Aliyev receives Belarusian Prime Minister Turchyn in Baku

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received Belarusian Prime Minister Aliaksandr Turchyn in Baku, where they discussed Azerbaijani–Belarusian ties, as well as a future visit Turchyn is slated to undertake in ‘liberated territories’.

Aliyev received Turchyn on Tuesday.

According to an official statement published by the Azerbaijani presidential administration, the two discussed ties between their two countries and the ‘importance of further developing economic and trade ties’.

Turchyn reportedly conveyed greetings from Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka

Aliyev emphasised the importance of further developing economic and trade ties, including the expansion of trade and economic cooperation.

According to the statement, they discussed the production of Belarusian automotive equipment at the Ganja Automobile Plant and establishing service centres for its equipment in Azerbaijan.

The two also touched on the participation of Belarusian companies in the ‘reconstruction of Azerbaijan’s liberated territories’. Turchyn said that he would visit the areas in which Belarusian companies were working to observe their progress.

The official statement did not specify which areas they were referring to.

According to the statement, Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan will host the World Urban Forum in 2026, extending an official invitation to Belarus to join the event.

The two additionally discussed prospects for joint production of a variety of equipment, including elevators, household appliances, in addition to joint cooperation in livestock farming, dairy production, meat processing, and poultry farming.

Minsk’s ties with Baku remain warm as they continue to plummet with Yerevan, whose government regularly hits out at Lukashenka’s regime — notably for its support of Azerbaijan.

In January, Lukashenka openly admitted to selling weapons to Azerbaijan, evidence of which surfaced in June 2024. According to leaked documents reviewed by Politico, Belarus supplied Azerbaijan with multiple shipments of advanced military hardware between 2018 and 2022.

During this period, Azerbaijan launched the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and several other major clashes took place on the Azerbaijan–Armenia border, during which Azerbaijan gained control over 150 square kilometres of territory inside Armenia, according to Yerevan.

‘Maybe Azerbaijan did buy them [weaponry]. But we were open to [selling to] Armenia too. Whoever paid the money got the goods’, Lukashenka said at the time.

Lukashenka suggests that Pashinyan will ‘destroy Armenia’

Lukashenka also admitted to selling weapons to Azerbaijan.

OC MediaArshaluys Barseghyan