Azerbaijan’s deputy PM visits Syria

Azerbaijan’s deputy Prime Minister Samir Sharifov has visited Damascus where he met President Ahmad al-Sharaa and a number of ministers. According to Azerbaijan, the visit aimed at supporting Syria’s reconstruction and establishing economic and energy cooperation.

Sharifov and his delegation visited Syria on Sunday.

According to Azerbaijani state-run news agency Azertac, the visit was ‘in line with the instruction of President Ilham Aliyev’ and was aimed at supporting the reconstruction of Syria and its development.

The agency reported that Sharifov explored ‘avenues for cooperation with the country’s transitional government in the fields of economy, energy, culture, and education’

Sharifov also delivered a letter from Aliyev to al-Sharaa, including an official invitation to visit Azerbaijan.

Sharifov and his delegation met with several Syrian ministers and officials, including its economy and foreign ministers.

According to Syria’s state news agency, SANA, during his meeting with Syrian Economy Minister Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar, Sharifov ‘stressed that today’s visit stems from Azerbaijan’s desire to contribute effectively and quickly to the reconstruction of Syria, particularly in the areas of energy, industry, health, and education’.

Prior to the civil war in early 2011, Syria‘s oil industry formed a major part of its economy.

During the visit, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov met with his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad al-Bashir, to discuss energy cooperation between the two countries.

According to SANA, the meeting between the energy ministers focused on ‘gas supply, renewable energy, exchange of expertise, and investment in energy infrastructure projects’.

In mid-April, Aliyev held a one-on-one meeting with al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Fourth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

Before the forum, Aliyev spoke about Azerbaijan–Syria relations during his speech at the international forum ‘Facing a New World Order’ held at ADA University.

As reported by Azerbaijani pro-government news outlet APA, Aliyev stressed that the reason for the deterioration of relations between the two countries was that the previous administration of Syria, ‘unfortunately, took a pro-Armenian, anti-Azerbaijani position’, and that there were many contacts between Armenian and Syrian officials.

‘Now, perhaps, the Armenian government thinks that no one remembers this, but no, we remember this. Now we see that they, Armenia, are trying to provide humanitarian aid to Syria. This once again shows Armenia’s hypocrisy. We hope that the Syrian government will no longer give place to such hypocritical people’, Aliyev said.

Aliyev invites interim Syrian President al-Sharaa to visit Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also shared his hopes that both sides would develop relations, including in the economic sector.

OC MediaAytan Farhadova