President Aliyev hails new chapter in Azerbaijan-UK defence cooperation PHOTO / UPDATED

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for Defence, Lord Vernon Coaker, on December 4, highlighting the strengthening strategic partnership between the two countries.

Lord Vernon Coaker expressed his pleasure at the meeting and, first of all, conveyed greetings from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, to the head of state of Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Lord Vernon Coaker highlighted the friendly and trust-based relations between the two countries and emphasised that the UK is interested in developing these relations within the framework of a strategic partnership.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked that his own regards be conveyed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The President also recalled with satisfaction Keir Starmer’s participation in COP29 and their meeting.

The Azerbaijani president noted the long and rich history of bilateral relations, emphasising that cooperation between the two countries began in the energy sector and later expanded to many other areas. President Aliyev stated that there are good opportunities to further broaden cooperation in trade, investment, and other fields. He also touched upon opening a new chapter in defence industry cooperation, describing it as a sign of mutual trust.

The guest congratulated President Aliyev on the results achieved in Washington this August regarding the normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the advancement of the peace agenda.

President Aliyev thanked him for the congratulations, stressing that these developments carry historical significance, and highlighted the special role of US President Donald Trump in this process. The President stated that Azerbaijan is the initiator of the peace agenda and will continue its efforts to advance it in the future.

By Vugar Khalilov