Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on official visit to Serbia UPDATED

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić have made press statements,  AZERTAC reports.

The President of Serbia made the statement first.

Statement by President Aleksandar Vučić

- Dear President Aliyev, my dear friend,

Thank you for this visit. I know how important and busy your work schedule is. So I would kindly ask you to feel at home here.

Our Chinese friends say that when it rains like this, it is always a good sign that something big is about to begin. I do hope that, despite the unfavorable weather, we will view this event in the best possible way for ourselves and see what a bright future lies ahead for both Serbia and Azerbaijan. At least when it comes to our bilateral relations.

I would like to express my great respect to the people of Azerbaijan and to you personally, dear Mr. President. I would also like to say to the people of Serbia and, of course, to the people of Azerbaijan that every time I talk to you, I learn a lot, I manage to observe many things from a different perspective of an experienced statesman and a true leader. Therefore, I would like to thank you very much for always sharing your knowledge with me and for establishing such relations with us, from which my country, the country I lead, has a lot to learn.

President Ilham Aliyev and I spoke about all the important issues in the world and in Europe today. We consulted each other and I learned from him. I understood some processes better, and more deeply than before. We have such relations that whenever a crisis occurs, we are open and talk to each other. Our cooperation is developing in every sphere of life. Compared to 2012, our trade in the field of services is 16 times higher, not 16 percent, but 16 times. Also, thanks to the strategic partnership, we have established new relations with Azerbaijan, the closest possible relations. I believe that this is extremely important for the Republic of Serbia and its people.

Our cooperation in various spheres of social life can and should be more important and greater. I do believe that with more work and effort, and indeed with a more diligent approach on our part, we will achieve even better results in the future. So far, we have signed 57 documents, and we can add to this the dozens of other documents we signed today. These documents should serve as a solid foundation for improving our relations in all areas of social life.

We have also discussed participation in the investment forum to be held in Azerbaijan in September, and before that, I will visit Azerbaijan. I believe that this is an opportunity for our business circles, bankers and other representatives to visit Azerbaijan, and this will be an opportunity for our country to present EXPO. Because in the run-up to that, there will be a few months left for EXPO. This event is the largest event that will be held in Serbia in 2027, and it is also the most important event for us. We are grateful to Azerbaijan for confirming its participation in EXPO 2027, and I am sure that they will represent their beautiful country in the best possible way here in Belgrade in 2027.

At the same time, I would like to draw your attention to some facts. The increase in tourism between the two countries and the opening of a direct flight between Belgrade and Baku by Air Serbia on May 3 will make a special contribution to this. I can personally say to all the people of Serbia that Baku is a beautiful city. They can see a lot of innovations there. The city is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea. It is a clean and tidy city. Whenever I visit Baku, I see new wonders, new and beautiful places that President Ilham Aliyev has built together with the Government of Azerbaijan. There are magnificent museums there. There are boulevards, there are friendly people, security is at the highest possible level. So this is an open invitation to Serbian citizens to visit Azerbaijan. I want to invite the people of Azerbaijan to visit Serbia and love this country. Serbia is among the countries with the highest level of security on the European continent. We have brotherly and friendly relations with the people of Azerbaijan. I think that there are many places in our country you can visit. I mean not only Belgrade but also other cities, mountain resorts, lakes and other places.

We talked about economic cooperation and agriculture, as well as the exchange of agricultural products. I really liked when I first tasted tomatoes and cucumbers grown in the settlement of Zira in Azerbaijan, and even before that, when I tasted products from the special region of Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan. I like them very much and I have heard that compared to products from other sources, Azerbaijan supplies them at a significant discount. I wonder if it is possible to provide our people with these products at such a low price? If those sitting in the government have not thought about this, let them think about it. I urge you to solve the issue of providing citizens with quality goods at more affordable prices from our friends in Azerbaijan. At the same time, we should also provide our own goods in this way. So far, this is not happening. I am sure that we can also provide Azerbaijan with many products. However, we have not done this yet and have not approached it carefully enough. This is the attitude. Time passes, but we do not seem to think about anything.

One of the most important issues is the fact that we are entering the era of electricity. I asked President Ilham Aliyev to personally participate in this project to help us. If so, we can finish the work faster. People here may think that electricity existed 20 years ago. But back then you bought fuel in containers. Then electricity was supplied for six hours, and then for the next six hours it was provided with interruptions. As for today, there is discipline that has never been seen in our country before. However, the situation may not be the same tomorrow. The era of electricity is beginning, and we need many sources of electricity. We need to produce more electricity. Azerbaijan will have electricity measuring gigawatts. But the question is: will there be the necessary transmission lines for its import? We have reached an agreement with the Azerbaijani side on important issues. Today, the Serbian gas company and SOCAR held talks on this issue and a cooperation agreement was signed. We will try to resolve each issue within two or three months, so that the project documentation can be prepared and construction can begin immediately after that. The construction will take more than two years. We believe that we will open a gas-fired power plant by 2029. Three sites have been selected around the city of Nis. We are talking about clean energy. The European Union also recognizes this. In short, the construction is expected to take place in Tripale, Krusti, or Niška Banja. However, I think Krusti is the most suitable place. The plant will have a power generation capacity of 500 megawatts. President Ilham Aliyev has promised me that he would personally deal with this issue. You may not believe it, but in two years they managed to create a total power generation capacity of 1,890 megawatts.

The people of Azerbaijan may not know this, these capacities were created in the shortest possible time. Azerbaijani companies will exercise control here. Serbian companies will join the work. Both sides will work with 50 percent. A 500-megawatt gas-fired power plant will be built. This will be a good example. In the future, we should build more gas-fired power plants. Small modular reactors will be installed. There will be data centers and other issues will be resolved. I have started discussions with the Americans, and it would be good if they, starting from the port of Bar in Montenegro, laid oil and gas pipelines, built data centers, carried out these works from Prijepolje through the Zlatibor mountains to Belgrade. Data centers should be created. If we do not use the capabilities of artificial intelligence, we will lag behind as a country. Elon Musk says that in two months everything will change dramatically. It is just that people do not see and do not know this yet. Therefore, the pace of the work should be accelerated, and we are grateful to our Azerbaijani friends for their support.

We have taken up a lot of your time. We have also discussed military and technical cooperation. Cooperation is going well. Consultations are held at the level of our foreign ministries. Agreements and constant support are evident. Even in the most difficult issues, Serbia has been on Azerbaijan's side, and they have supported us as well. This will continue to be the case in the future. We have resolved very difficult issues. We fully believe in President Ilham Aliyev's words. I think that he also treats our country with the same sincere sentiments. We will continue this relationship as it is. Today and tomorrow, there will be an opportunity for additional discussions. Tomorrow, we are expected to have a working breakfast, and I am very pleased that we were able to spend so much time with my friend and a friend of Serbia, President Ilham Aliyev. You see, I am not always satisfied with our flexibility. We must work with more enthusiasm and speed up everything. We have been able to do more work than before and have achieved good results. I want to congratulate every citizen of Serbia on the occasion of Statehood Day. Today Serbia celebrates one of the most important holidays on its calendar. This is a great holiday for us. I am grateful for your congratulations.

Dear Mr. President, thank you very much for honoring us with this visit. I do believe that through our joint work we will achieve the best results for the interests of the peoples of Azerbaijan and Serbia. Thank you very much. Long live the Serbian-Azerbaijani friendship!

Dear Mr. President, I am grateful to you, welcome to your home.

x x x

Then, the President of Azerbaijan made the statement.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Mr. President, my dear friend,

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Mr. President, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to you for the invitation and hospitality. It is your national holiday today, Statehood Day, and yet, you are welcoming the Azerbaijani delegation. We view this as a manifestation of the high level of our relations. Serbia and Azerbaijan are two friendly countries that always stand by each other.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate you and all the friendly people of Serbia on the occasion of Statehood Day. It is not by chance that this holiday is called as such. I am well aware that the Serbian people have always made great efforts and sacrifices to protect and strengthen their state sovereignty. My dear friend, as the President of Serbia, you have always put statehood and state interests above all else. That is why Serbia is developing successfully under your leadership, and your country has gained tremendous respect internationally. At the same time, major reforms have been carried out in the economic and social spheres. As a result, Serbia, a country without natural resources, has been developing economically with great success, relying on its own strength and without receiving assistance from anywhere. In present-day circumstances, especially for a country located in Europe, this should be viewed as a significant factor. I would like to note the very high leadership qualities of President Vučić. As you may know, our contacts have been ongoing for many years. We know each other well, we have sincere conversations, and friendly relations. I know how much President Vučić is committed to the Serbian people, state, and public interests, and it is precisely these factors that underpin the success of any country. Of course, as friends of Serbia, we highly appreciate this and are happy about it.

My dear friend has touched upon the issues we discussed, so I do not want to repeat them. Indeed, many issues were discussed at the first meeting of the Serbia-Azerbaijan Strategic Council today. Before that, we reviewed a wide range of issues in our one-on-one meeting. We also have clear plans for the future, which consist of further strengthening our relations in the political, economic, and energy sectors, continuing to support each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty on international platforms and within international organizations, implementing joint investment projects, taking advantage of newly created opportunities in the energy and transport sectors, and creating a very strong synergy by looking further ahead.

President Vučić has already touched upon the future of the power plant to be built jointly. As the President has said, we have decided to keep this issue under the presidents’ oversight. The process of creating this power plant is based on the investment opportunities that exist in Serbia. Because if the investment climate were not positive, Serbia would not be so attractive to foreign investors. It is precisely as a result of the reforms that many countries, including Azerbaijan, are ready to invest substantially in Serbia.

The construction and reconstruction of power plants, as well as their rehabilitation, pave the way for the future development of any country. In particular, countries without natural resources often fall into dependence. Therefore, the presence of domestic energy and generation capacities ensures the energy security of each country, and I would like to note the special role of President Vučić in the implementation of this project.

In general, our relations in the energy sector are now developing in a diversified manner. Some time ago, we started exporting natural gas to Serbia, and today we decided to increase the volume of our exports. Now Serbia will also convert the gas to be exported into electricity, thereby acquiring clean electricity. This will create opportunities for both the Serbian market and for future exports. Today, Azerbaijan's export potential in the energy sector is 2 gigawatts. This figure will only increase because we are now engaged in the construction of many renewable energy plants and are ready to cooperate with Serbia in this area.

We will generate an additional 8 gigawatts of energy capacity by 2032, and a large part of it will be exported. To achieve this, we need new and larger transmission capacities because our main export destination is Europe.

As for other issues, let me repeat, my friend has already spoken about them. I do not want to take up too much of your time. I believe that the results of my official visit will not be long in coming. We will meet again in the near future. I have invited President Vučić and members of the Serbian delegation to Azerbaijan. I am sure that we will meet several times this year – both in Azerbaijan and, perhaps, again in Serbia. Both I and, I am sure, the rest of the Azerbaijani delegation feel absolutely at home here. I have been to Serbia many times and have witnessed first hand the development taking place in Serbia under the leadership of President Vučić. Therefore, I would like to once again sincerely congratulate our Serbian friends and join President Vučić in his slogan: Long live Serbia! Long live Azerbaijan! Long live Serbian-Azerbaijani friendship!

17:54

A ceremony of exchanging Azerbaijan-Serbia documents commenced in Belgrade, with the participation of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, AZERTAC reports.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Finance Sahil Babayev and Serbia’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Dragan Glamočić exchanged the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on Cooperation in the Field of Food Security.”

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović exchanged the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on the Design, Construction and Operation of a Gas-Turbine Power Plant in the Republic of Serbia.”

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarović exchanged the “Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Serbia.”

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Finance Sahil Babayev and Serbia’s Minister of Information and Telecommunications Boris Bratina exchanged the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Media and Communications between the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia.”

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture Adil Karimli and Serbia’s Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković exchanged the “Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Culture for 2026-2030 between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.”

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov and Serbia’s Minister of Sports Zoran Gajić exchanged the “Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Sports between the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Serbia.”

Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Serbia Kamil Khasiyev and Director of Serbia’s National Health Insurance Fund Sanja Radojević exchanged the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Health Insurance Systems between the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the National Health Insurance Fund of the Republic of Serbia.”

17:51

The first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Serbia was held in Belgrade on February 15, with the participation of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, AZERTAC reports.

First, the President of the Republic of Serbia delivered a speech.

Speech by President Aleksandar Vučić

- Distinguished President and dear friend, Mr. Ilham Aliyev,

Distinguished ministers in the Government of Azerbaijan and ministers in the Government of Serbia,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

It gives me an honor to open the first session of the Strategic Partnership Council between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The special symbolism of today's meeting and Council session is that it is taking place on the most important day for the Republic of Serbia – national holiday, the Statehood Day – which we celebrate with our closest friends, President Ilham Aliyev, and the guests from Azerbaijan.

This session is a turning point in our bilateral relations and a clear proof of the joint political will to put the relations between our two countries at the highest strategic level. Let me remind you that this Council stemmed from the joint vision and the agreement with my dear friend, President Ilham Aliyev. The Republic of Serbia has meetings in such a format with only a few countries.

Allow me to particularly underline that the presence of President Aliyev, as well as high-level officials and ministers in both the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Serbia, speaks clearly about the importance that both sides attach to this Council. I am convinced that our work today will be aimed at concrete results, clear arrangements, and a vision of long-term cooperation. I'll make my introductory speech much shorter, and I'm begging at least Serbian ministers to do the same, because we cannot be late with our addresses to journalists. And please be respectful of that. I wanted to add just a few things.

Dear friend, Mr. President, and dear friends from Azerbaijan, we are very much determined to develop the very best strategic partnership with our friendly country, Azerbaijan. And we'll devote ourselves to that, which means that we'll work diligently in order to improve our relations in all different fields, in all different spheres. And, as it always goes with friends, we'll face some hurdles, we'll face some issues, but we'll always be able to resolve them. And what will never expire is our desire for friendship, for creating better relationships, and for interconnecting with each other much faster and much stronger.

We are going to open a direct flight line very soon between Belgrade and Baku, which will connect us much better than it used to be in the past. At the same time, in all different fields – culture, sports, economy, agriculture, industry, military-technical cooperation – I'm absolutely sure that we'll reach the ceiling of possible relationships between any two countries in the world. I also wanted to add just one more thing. I learned a lot from Ilham Aliyev, my dear friend, not only today, but that’s why I spent more time than expected even today. I always use that opportunity to learn more from him, and I plan to do so in the future as well. I know that he's a very dedicated friend, and I know that we can expect many good things from Azerbaijan. I believe that Azerbaijani people can always expect only good things from Serbia and the Serbian people. And I'm begging you, Serbian ministers, to be as diligent and dedicated as our Azerbaijani counterparts. I wish you good work.

I'm going to visit Azerbaijan relatively soon again, and before that, we need to deliver many results. I was discussing, Dubravka in particular, the issue of the gas-fired power plant with President Aliyev. And I was begging the President to participate personally in that issue, because I was saying very honestly what we are able to do and what we are not able to deliver on. I got guarantees from Mr. President that he himself will be very helpful on this. After we finish this pre-feasibility study, we need to speed up all the other procedures and everything else.

Dear friends from Azerbaijan, please feel at home here in Serbia. You are very welcome. Dear President, I wish you, your family, your people, and your nation all the best, and hope to host you as often as possible. And it has to be more often. Many thanks, and very welcome to Serbia. Thank you.

x x x

Then, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan made a speech.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Thank you. Dear Mr. President, dear friends. First of all, thank you for the invitation. I am very glad to be back in Serbia, and also grateful to my friend Aleksandar for taking the time for me, not only on Sunday, but also on the day of the national holiday. By the way, congratulations on the Statehood Day.

The very fact of that really demonstrates the level of sincerity between us: we don't have any borders, we don't have any time limits, and we don't have any reservations when we talk about our friendship and how to strengthen our cooperation.

I had an extensive discussion with my friend, the President. As always, I am very impressed with his vision, knowledge, and expertise about different aspects of today’s geopolitical situation in the Balkans and the Caucasus. The broader region is developing very rapidly, with a lot of unexpected scenarios. So we must be prepared, and we must also be in permanent contact in order to exchange views, exchange information, and share analyses about what is happening in order to achieve our targets to the maximum degree.

By the way, today, the Statehood Day is a day when we reflect on statehood. I want to congratulate the Serbian people and the President on their achievements in strengthening Serbian statehood. The country is developing successfully under the leadership of the President, strengthening its statehood and its state institutions. We are very glad to observe this because Azerbaijan and Serbia are very friendly countries. Today’s inaugural meeting of the Strategic Council is also a great illustration of the fact that what has been decided and agreed is being implemented. I am accompanied today by almost half of the members of the government. This in itself demonstrates that there are many things to discuss between members of delegations, between all of us. Prior to the visit of my friend Aleksandar to Azerbaijan, soon this year, we need to already have results from today’s visit. I ask all members of the Azerbaijani delegation to treat this with the maximum level of seriousness, so that, as always, what we agree on, we implement in a relatively short period of time.

Aleksandar has already identified the areas of partnership. If we look at the agenda, and also at today’s agenda of our session and the presentations by the corresponding ministers, we see that the agenda is getting broader. We not only work closely on the political track, on the international arena, but we also implement important projects for our economies and industries. President Vučić mentioned the construction of the power plant. I think this is an important indicator of how we diversify cooperation in the energy sector. We started with gas cooperation, and now we are moving toward the next stage – how to utilize this gas with maximum efficiency for both of us and convert it into the final product, electric energy. This will be one of the major Azerbaijani investments in Europe in recent years. This is also a demonstration of a high level of mutual trust, because you invest only in a country where you have good relations and trust your partners. You know that stability and development in Serbia under the wise leadership of Aleksandar Vučić will be an important factor for a long time. Taking into account that we need to be on time for the press statements, I also want to limit my comments to what I have said and give the opportunity to our teams to make their presentations. Once again, thank you for your hospitality and invitation.

x x x

During the meeting, the co-chairs of the intergovernmental commissions and other relevant ministers presented their reports.

Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia in the fields of energy, investments, renewable energy, tourism, agriculture, culture, and other areas was discussed.

The heads of state issued instructions to expand collaboration in these sectors and to present specific projects.

It was noted with satisfaction that direct Baku–Belgrade flights will commence in May of this year, with hopes that they will further promote humanitarian contacts and tourism between the two countries.

Subsequently, Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Aleksandar Vučić signed the Decision of the first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

16:24

In Belgrade, a one-on-one meeting is underway between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, AZERTAC.

16:11

On 15 February, during his official visit to the Republic of Serbia, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the monuments to National Leader Heydar Aliyev and prominent Serbian writer Milorad Pavić in Tašmajdan Park in Belgrade.

According to AZERTAC, the head of state laid wreaths at the monuments.

15:53

On 15 February, an official welcoming ceremony was held in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, for President Ilham Aliyev.

According to AZERTAC, a guard of honour was lined up in honour of President Ilham Aliyev.

President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia welcomed President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.

The national anthems of Azerbaijan and Serbia were played.

The commander of the guard of honour reported to the President of Azerbaijan.

The presidents reviewed the guard of honour.

Members of the Serbian delegation were introduced to President Ilham Aliyev, while representatives of the Azerbaijani state and government were introduced to President Aleksandar Vučić.

15:28

On 15 February, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan arrived in Serbia for an official visit.

A guard of honor was lined up for the President of Azerbaijan at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, AZERTAC reports.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were welcomed by President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia.