A phone call between Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Ilham Aliyev

During a phone call between Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan in areas of mutual interest, including energy, the economy, and investment, were discussed, the Press Office of the Bulgarian President reported.

The head of Bulgaria applauded Azerbaijan's dedication and President Aliyev personally for their successful collaboration on the gas interconnector project between Bulgaria and Greece. Both Radev and Aliyev agreed that the project's realization increases energy diversity throughout all of Europe. The heads talked about the possibility of expanding their partnership in the import of natural gas and for technological exchanges, including the creation of both green hydrogen and electricity. The collaboration between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan was identified as having potential in the fields of agriculture, innovation, the automobile industry, culture, and education.

President Aliyev was once again extended a personal invitation by President Radev to visit Bulgaria soon.

Hikmet Hajiyev: To progress in the process of normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan, there is a need for facilitating steps rather than a mediation mechanism

"For the progress of the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process, there is a need for facilitating steps rather than any mediation mechanism," Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, stated. "The normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations is primarily a bilateral process. In order for the process to move forward, there is a need for facilitating steps rather than any mediation mechanism," Hajiyev told reporters.

According to him, currently, Russia and the European Union are making certain efforts to normalize relations between Baku and Yerevan, and Azerbaijan is interested in this. Hajiyev added that the issues on the agenda for the normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations are problems such as a peace agreement, border delimitation, mine clearance, transport issues, missing persons, and landmines. "First of all, the Armenian side should react to them," the Assistant of the Azerbaijani President stressed.

Azerbaijani Prime Minister: "Azerbaijan is ready to create conditions for its Eurasian Economic Union partners to use the country's transit potential"

"Baku is ready to create all conditions for its Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) partners to use Azerbaijan's transit potential," Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov stated. Asadov participated in the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council as a guest held in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic.

At the meeting, Asadov pointed out that Azerbaijan has close bilateral relations and economic cooperation with almost all countries that are members of the Eurasian Economic Union. He said that these relations are based on the principles of mutual respect for territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and consideration of each other's national interests. "Cooperation based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and consideration of each other's interests is the main guarantor of long-term peace, stability, and sustainable development," the Press Service of the Cabinet of Ministers stated. According to him, Azerbaijan, located at the intersection of Europe and Asia, participates in all initiatives and projects aimed at the development of transport communications, and regional and continental trade, together with its partners in the region. The Prime Minister emphasized that Azerbaijan has invested in the modernization of transport infrastructure for the implementation of important projects on the creation of international transport and logistics corridors and continues to do so. He added that Azerbaijan is an important link in North-South and East-West international transport corridors, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, and several other projects.

"We observe that freight transportation on various routes passing through the territory of our country is increasing every year. In 6 months of the current year alone, the volume of transit transportation has increased by more than 50 percent. The volume of transit cargo transported from the new Alat International Sea Trade Port on the Caspian Sea is increasing. The port infrastructure allows to transport of up to 15 million tons of cargo, including 100,000 TEU [twenty-foot equivalent unit] containers per year. However, the increase in the cargo traffic and related forecasts require an increase in its launch capacity. Taking this into account, we laid the foundation for the second phase of expanding the port's cargo capacity to 25 million tons of cargo and 500,000 TEU containers," Asadov said. Ali Asadov stressed that Azerbaijan is ready to create all conditions for its Eurasian Economic Union partners to use the country's transit potential. The Prime Minister believes that cooperation within the framework of transport projects connecting countries and continents will contribute to a stable, prosperous, dignified, and predictable future in the entire Eurasian space. "This thesis is further strengthened by the new realities that have arisen in the region, which create good opportunities for the opening of transport communications, as well as new transport and trade routes," Asadov added.

Asadov and Golovchenko discussed the development of economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Belarus

On August 25, a business meeting was held between Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov and Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Roman Golovchenko in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

"I am happy to meet you here after the productive and constructive conversation we had during my visit to Baku in May of this year. It is very good that you were able to find time and opportunity to come to Kyrgyzstan," said Golovchenko.

Asadov said that the visit of the Belarusian Prime Minister to Azerbaijan in May helped the development of bilateral relations. "I am sure that this positive dynamic will continue. We must work to further enrich our bilateral relations both in the economic and political spheres. I am sure that in this difficult period, specific steps will be determined that will meet the interests of both economies," he added.

The Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan discussed the issues of deepening economic cooperation

Within the framework of the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov and Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov met.

"The official visit of the Kyrgyz President to Azerbaijan in the spring of this year raised the relations between the two countries to a qualitatively new level of strategic partnership, which opens up new opportunities for cooperation between our states. The next meeting of the Intergovernmental Joint Commission was successfully held in Baku on August 16 of the current year by the order of the leaders of the two countries. I want to make sure that the Kyrgyz Republic is fully committed to the course of deepening and expanding bilateral relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan," said Japarov.

Japarov plans to hold a decade of culture in the two republics in 2023-2024, to perpetuate the memory of the great Kyrgyz writer Chinghiz Aitmatov in Baku, to teach Kyrgyz students in Azerbaijan's higher schools (including agrarian, border, oil, and diplomatic directions) expressed confidence that the provision of education quotas will help the spirit of strategic cooperation between our countries.

In his turn, Asadov noted that he is ready to further strengthen and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

Aliyev: "South Korean companies can participate in the reconstruction of Karabakh and East Zangazur"

On August 25, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by So Byog-soo, the special representative of the President of the Republic of Korea, the chairman of the Special Committee for supporting Busan's candidacy to host the World Expo "Expo 2030", the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

President Ilham Aliyev said that Korean companies have been operating very successfully in Azerbaijan for many years, have implemented several important industrial projects, and are very active in the construction sector, and the architecture of several skyscrapers of Baku has been presented by Korean companies. The head of state expressed the need for political and economic relations to become more active and emphasized the role of inter-parliamentary cooperation in the development of bilateral relations. President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is implementing large-scale restoration and reconstruction projects in Karabakh and East Zangazur, which were freed from Armenian occupation, and noted that Korean companies can contribute to these works through modern technologies.