Azerbaijani parliament speaker meets new Chinese ambassador to boost strategic partnership

Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova has met with Lu Mei, the newly appointed Ambassador of China, on May 15.

During the meeting, Gafarova highlighted the active cooperation between Azerbaijan and China across various sectors, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

She emphasised that bilateral relations have now reached the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, underlining the significance of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent state visit to China.

Ambassador Lu Mei expressed her commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries during her tenure, particularly focusing on developing relations between their legislative bodies alongside other areas of cooperation.

Note that, on April 17, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan received the credentials of Lu Mei, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China. During their meeting, President Aliyev emphasised the strategic nature of Azerbaijan-China relations, recalling his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year and the joint declaration on strategic partnership.

The President highlighted extensive cooperation across political, economic, trade, transport, energy, and cultural sectors, as well as mutual support within international organisations. He reaffirmed Azerbaijan's firm support for the “One China” policy and praised the Belt and Road Initiative, noting Azerbaijan’s early backing and infrastructure development to enhance the Middle Corridor.

Ambassador Lu Mei conveyed greetings from President Xi and reiterated China’s support for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and ongoing development. She pledged to strengthen bilateral ties and recognised the important role of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in fostering China-Azerbaijan relations.

By Aghakazim Guliyev