On May 23, an official welcome ceremony was held for Emomali Rahmon, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, who arrived in the Republic of Azerbaijan for a state visit.

Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, first held a one-on-one meeting with President Rahmon. Following this, President Aliyev held an expanded meeting with President Rahmon.

Bilateral documents

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, participated in a ceremony to sign documents.

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, signed the "Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Tajikistan."

Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev and Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan Sherali Kabir signed the "Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Tajikistan".

Minister of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan Farid Ahmadov and Director of the Execution Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan Barno Saidvalizoda signed the "Memorandum on cooperation in the field of execution of judicial acts and acts of other bodies between the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Execution Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan."

Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev and Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan Sheralizoda Bahadur signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of environmental protection between the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Committee for Environmental Protection Committee under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan≈."

Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov and Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan Zavqizoda Zavqi signed the "Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Industrial Property Protection between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan," and the "Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of digital trade between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan."

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Rahimzoda Ramazon signed the "Agreement on Cooperation in the field of migration between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan."

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, signed the "Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of technical information protection between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan."

Press statements

Ilham Aliyev and Emomali Rahmon made press statements during Rahmon's state visit to Azerbaijan.

Aliyev stated, "We have just signed the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, which reflects the nature and spirit of our relations and the will of our peoples. The Declaration covers almost all spheres of interaction. It expresses mutual support and a focus on concrete results."

He continued, "Today, we also discussed in detail the issues of economic interaction. Along with the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, we have signed 13 other documents, totaling 14 documents, some of which were signed here and others earlier. This significantly strengthens the legal framework of our relations. On the eve of the visit of the President of Tajikistan, a business forum was held, and documents and memorandums of understanding were also signed within the framework of that forum, and this was reported to us today. I think this will allow us to significantly increase the volume of mutual trade."

"The transport sector was also in the spotlight of our discussions," Aliyev added. "We carefully went over the issues related to logistical links to make the Middle Corridor and the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, which is a part of it, more attractive for shippers from Tajikistan. I informed my colleague that Azerbaijan has practically completed all major transport and logistical projects on its territory and is now ready to receive large volumes of cargo from different directions: from East to West and vice versa, and also from North to South and vice versa."

He also addressed issues related to geopolitical changes, the global situation, and regional security measures, along with education, culture, and agriculture. "Our regular contacts in Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, not to mention our meetings on the sidelines of international events, are the most important factors of our interaction. This gives a powerful impetus to all directions to fill relations with specific content."

Emomali Rahmon expressed his appreciation for President Aliyev's efforts in enhancing bilateral relations, stating, "Tajikistan highly appreciates the personal contribution of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the development of bilateral relations between our countries. During the talks, special attention was paid to the practical implementation of the agreements reached during last year's state visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Tajikistan. The development of trade and economic cooperation has been at the center of our attention. We have instructed the governments of our countries to exercise rigorous control over the full implementation of the Intergovernmental Action Plan on Economic Cooperation until 2025."

Rahmon highlighted the importance of involving Azerbaijani companies and financial institutions in Tajikistan's projects. "The business forum held in Baku within the framework of our visit shows that the sides have ample opportunities to develop our trade and economic ties. I would like to express hope that the results of the business forum, along with the bilateral documents signed today, will give a strong impetus to our cooperation in this direction. It should be noted that the total value of commercial contracts and agreements signed on the sidelines of the forum totals more than 700 million dollars US."

He further elaborated on the agricultural sector, transportation, and communications. "We have given instructions to relevant agencies, including the measures to resume direct air service between our capitals. We have noted with satisfaction the tendency towards increasing the volume of cargo transportation of Tajikistan and commercial entities across the territory of Azerbaijan."

Rahmon emphasized the importance of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, proposing the organization of cultural events. "We have agreed to increase the number of mutually allocated quotas for education in the two countries' universities. We have offered our friends the opportunity to hold the Days of Azerbaijani Culture in Tajikistan next year and organize a Festival of Friendship of Tajik and Azerbaijani peoples within the framework of that event."

Addressing security issues, Rahmon stated, "Security risks and threats were discussed during the talks. For my part, I would like to note that the current situation in the world continues to be quite complicated and tense. Taking this opportunity, I would like to emphasize that Tajikistan is in favor of resolving all contradictions and conflicts through peaceful means. We express our satisfaction with the level and content of fruitful cooperation with Azerbaijan in the sphere of security. In this context, we attach great importance to combating terrorism and extremism, as well as any manifestations of radicalism and transnational organized crime, including cybercrime and drug smuggling. We believe it is necessary to strengthen coordination between intelligence services and other specialized agencies in this area."

a