Azerbaijani FM meets with King Charles, Ukraine's FM in London Baku to join restoration campaign in Ukraine

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, during his working visit to the United Kingdom, attended on June 21 the reception hosted by King Charles at St James's Palace on the eve of the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported that Bayramov also held a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba as part of the conference in London.

The ministers discussed the agenda of joint cooperation and issues of regional and international security of mutual interest.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) 2023, is being jointly held by the UK and Ukraine in London as a continuation of the cycle of annual events with the last one conducted jointly with Switzerland in Lugano.

The previous edition of the conference, held for the first time during the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, launched the Lugano Principles, which laid the foundation for the reconstruction process of Ukraine and united the world in its efforts.

Since Lugano, the international community has pledged significant emergency assistance, but a broader mobilisation of public and private sectors is needed to meet the scale of stabilisation and recovery needs Ukraine requires following the Russian attacks. Ukraine has already undertaken initiatives to move forward with reconstruction in line with these principles and commitments, despite the circumstances of war.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference is dedicated to Ukraine's transformation and was symbolically launched in London in 2017 as the Ukraine Reform Conference.

URC 2023 focuses on mobilising international support for Ukraine's economic and social stabilisation and recovery from the effects of war, including through emergency assistance for immediate needs and financing private sector participation in the reconstruction process.

In the meantime, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Azerbaijan will join the campaign for the restoration of the war-torn Ukrainian city of Irpen.

The announcement came on June 21 during Zelenskyy's reception of the credentials of the newly appointed Azerbaijani Ambassador to Kyiv Seymur Mardaliev.

The Ukrainian leader said an agreement has been reached on Azerbaijan's participation in the restoration of the city of Irpen.

“Our teams are already working on the implementation of this agreement. This will be a concrete contribution to the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

Azerbaijan has already sponsored the restoration of a secondary school in Irpen.

The secondary school opened its door on September 1, 2022, after SOCAR Energy Ukraine, through which Azerbaijan's energy conglomerate SOCAR operates in the country, completed its restoration. Director of the company, Igor Orlov, has then said that the roof, windows and stained-glass windows, and the facade of the building have been renovated. At the same time, classrooms, and a gym, which were seriously damaged by the explosion have been repaired, and bathrooms have been installed in the school’s bomb shelter.

Irpin, located 21 kilometres (13 miles) from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, was at the epicentre of a fierce Russian assault in March, shortly after the start of the invasion on February 24. The town of 70,000 population was then called a “gateway” to Kyiv due to its proximity and strategic location. Irpin suffered heavily from disastrous shelling as the Russian troops attempted to tighten their grip on it and facilitate the advancement toward Kyiv.

In addition, Azerbaijan has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine worth $17 million since the start of Russia's "special operation". The last tranche of the aid package, including pumps, pipes, inflatable boats, and appropriate clothing, was supplied to the war-torn country on June 9, 2023.