Italian president visits Azerbaijan to talk ties with Aliyev and attend university inauguration
Italian President Sergio Mattarella has visited Azerbaijan to meet with President Ilham Aliyev and to attend the inauguration of the Italy–Azerbaijan University in Baku.
Mattarella arrived in Azerbaijan for a one-day visit on Tuesday.
He and Aliyev held a one-on-one meeting upon his arrival, later holding an expanded meeting, where Aliyev stated that he had invited his Italian counterpart to Azerbaijan last year.
According to the presidential website, during the meeting, Aliyev stated Italy has always supported the development of Azerbaijan’s relations with the European Union (EU).
‘Our relations are also crucial for the development of the region in which we are located, and have a positive impact on our relations with the EU. Italy has always supported our efforts to build closer relations with the EU, and we are grateful to you for that’, Aliyev said.
Aliyev spoke about the importance of implementing new energy projects with Italy and the EU and stated that they are ‘successfully working on these issues’.
In turn, Mattarella referenced his first visit to Azerbaijan in 2018, during which he discussed the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The TAP is part of the Southern Gas Corridor, transporting natural gas to Europe from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan.
On Wednesday, the presidents and First Lady, and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva attended the inauguration of the first academic buildings of the Italy–Azerbaijan University in Baku.
The Italian University was inaugurated on the campus of the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA), which was founded by Aliyeva’s uncle, Hafiz Pashayev.
During his statement, Aliyev touched on the importance of the TAP project and thanked Mattarella’s ‘personal involvement and support’.
‘If this had not been resolved at that time, we would not have been able to export so much natural resources to Europe today. We would have been suffering from that, and so would Europe’, Aliyev stressed.
Historically, Italy has been the leading purchaser of Azerbaijani oil.
Aytan Farhadova
Caliber, a pro-government media outlet, reported that during the first eight months of 2025, Azerbaijan exported approximately 9.2 million tons of crude oil to Italy, with a total value of $4.8 billion. According to the State Statistical Committee, in 2024, Azerbaijan's exports to Italy were $10.8 billion.
‘My country fully supports the strategic partnership with Azerbaijan’, Mattarella stated, and added that the partnership between the two countries is not limited only to the field of economics or ‘the crucially important energy and industrial sectors’.
Mattarella, in his statement, valued the cooperation with Aliyev, and stressed that ‘when it comes to your cooperation with the European Union, Italy will take steps on its side’.
The Italian president stressed that their relationship also extends to culture and education.
‘I express my gratitude for the invitation and believe that it will further expand our cooperation while also contributing to your relations with the European Union’, Mattarella concluded.
Aliyev has additionally called the Italian University a ‘friendship project’, noting that the project began to be implemented in 2022 on his orders.
OC Media
