On December 4, during a meeting in Baku, Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received Lord Vernon Coaker, the Minister of State for Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Conveying the greetings of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Lord Vernon Coaker expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to meet the Head of State and highlighted the friendly, confidence-based ties between the two countries. He stressed that London was interested in elevating relations with Azerbaijan to the level of a strategic partnership.

President Aliyev conveyed his appreciation for the greetings and asked the guest to deliver his own greetings to the Prime Minister. The President recalled with pleasure Keir Starmer’s participation in COP29 and their meeting on that occasion. Ilham Aliyev stated that bilateral cooperation had a long and substantial history, beginning with the energy sphere and later expanding into numerous areas. He noted that there were strong prospects for further growth in trade, investment and other fields. Referring to a newly opened chapter in defense-industry cooperation, the President described this development as a sign of mutual trust.

Lord Vernon Coaker congratulated the Head of State on the progress achieved in Washington in August toward the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the advancement of the peace agenda. President Aliyev expressed gratitude for the congratulations, underscored the historical importance of these steps and pointed to the "special role of US President Donald Trump" in this process. He emphasized that Azerbaijan had initiated the peace agenda and stated that the country would continue its efforts to move it forward.