Azerbaijani, German presidents hold one-on-one and expanded  meetings in Baku PHOTO/UPDATED

On April 2, 2025, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Baku for a series of important diplomatic discussions aimed at enhancing bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Germany.

The day began with a meeting between the two leaders, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Following the one-on-one talks, an expanded meeting was held between the two leaders, accompanied by key government officials from both nations.

Addressing the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev stated:

- Mr. President, dear guests, welcome. We wish you a pleasant stay. We just had a very good meeting with Mr. President, discussing a broad range of issues of bilateral agenda and also international matters. I'm very glad to host the President of Germany to Azerbaijan. As you know, we have regular contacts. We met last year in Berlin, and I'm grateful that you accepted my invitation. I'm sure that the visit will be very fruitful and productive, and will give a new boost to our bilateral ties. Welcome, Mr. President.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: Thank you for your kind invitation. May I say it's good to be back in Azerbaijan after so many years. My last visit was in 2016, in my capacity as foreign minister. Considering these nine years and the geopolitical shifts during this time, it seems like an eternity. But to be honest, I was on Azerbaijani territory nearly two years ago on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea when I was visiting your logistics hub in Aktau, and I boarded an Azerbaijani ship, where I learned it was Azerbaijani territory. Therefore, it's good to be back here in Baku and to have the opportunity for a very extensive exchange of views, which is necessary these days.

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The meeting discussed the Middle Corridor project and Azerbaijan's role in it, as well as energy cooperation between the countries, including collaboration on green energy. They emphasized that COP29 was successfully organized in Azerbaijan, yielding significant outcomes on the climate agenda.

Humanitarian ties were also addressed during the conversation. They noted the long-standing peaceful coexistence of the German community in Azerbaijan and the high-level attention they received from the state.

On April 2, an official luncheon was hosted on behalf of Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in honor of Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany.