On February 13, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Gulustan Palace in Baku for a 1,280-MW thermal power plant, the largest ever built throughout Azerbaijan's independence, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

Ilham Aliyev emphasized, "The Italian company's participation in this station's construction is not accidental. Italy is our strategic partner. Two documents on strategic partnership have been signed between Italy and Azerbaijan; high-level reciprocal visits have been organized. Starting from January of this year, three ministers of the new Italian government have already visited Azerbaijan - the minister of defense, the minister of energy, and today the minister of enterprises and Made in Italy. In just one month, i.e., the first visit was on January 11, and three new government ministers visited Azerbaijan. This shows how advanced our relations are."

Regarding energy relations, he added: "Most Azerbaijani oil is delivered to the Italian market, and Azerbaijani gas has been delivered to the Italian market for over two years. The TAP project is our joint success. Whereas the starting point of the Southern Gas Corridor is Azerbaijan's sector in the Caspian Sea, its endpoint is Italy, and several countries along the way benefit from Azerbaijan's gas. Taking into account the new needs of Europe and according to the document signed between the European Commission and Azerbaijan last year, we will ensure an increase in the volume of natural gas supplies to Europe. Of course, the issue of doubling the capacity of the TAP is on the agenda now. This issue has been discussed for some time now, including the discussions at the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council held in Baku at the beginning of this month."

"So, Italy-Azerbaijan relations not only provide the interests of our two countries but also provide the interests of a large geography. I should also say that our cooperation is not limited to the energy sector. Italy is Azerbaijan’s primary trading partner. Currently, a new building of the Azerbaijan-Italy University is being built in Baku. Italian companies are actively involved in restoration and reconstruction work on the liberated lands - restoration and construction of religious sites and construction and design of victory museums. So, this is a very strategic partnership, and today's ceremony shows that again," the President stated.

Ilham Aliyev received Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy

On February 13, Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Adolfo Urso, the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy of the Italian Republic.

Aliyev said: "Azerbaijan-Italy relations are so deep and sincere that we have entrusted the most important projects to Italian companies. For example, in Baku, in many liberated cities, Victory and Occupation museums are being created by Italian companies. In Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, three destroyed mosques and one new mosque are being restored and built by Italian companies. So along with all other areas, these projects I mentioned are particularly important to us. Because this is our historical past, at the same time, there will be new symbols that reflect our Victory."

Adolfo Urso stated, "A few days after you liberated your territories, I visited your country as part of the Italian parliamentary delegation. We visited those places at that time. I remember going to the city of Aghdam and taking pictures from the mosque's minaret, and I showed them to Italian news channels. This trip gave me great feelings, and no one could even imagine the level of devastation."

During the meeting, the sides emphasized the importance of the activity of the intergovernmental commission, of holding a meeting of this commission as soon as possible in terms of the implementation of the tasks set. The parties exchanged views on cooperation in renewable energy, agricultural machinery, pharmaceutical industry, science, education, culture, and other fields, as well as restoration and construction work in liberated territories.

The importance of the TAP project, which currently plays an essential part in ensuring Italy's energy security, was also discussed, along with the issues of increasing its transmission capacity in the future. Italy's support for developing Azerbaijan's relations with the European Union was highly appreciated. It was emphasized that Italy was an important partner for Azerbaijan among European Union countries.