Chinese envoy highlights promising SCO partnership for Azerbaijan

The partnership with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) holds great promise for Azerbaijan, offering significant potential for increased trade and additional bilateral investments, according to Ding Tao, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan.

The diplomat made these remarks during a press briefing held at the Chinese embassy on July 5, following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's leaders' meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, as reported by a correspondent from Caliber.Az at the event.

During the press briefing, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan, Ding Tao, emphasized the significant role of the SCO organization in promoting regional security, interregional partnership, and economic prosperity. He underscored that the recent Astana meeting further solidified the SCO's position as the main regional organization, bringing a sense of reassurance and optimism to the audience.

"We have a right to a bright future, development, and economic stimulus amid deep geopolitical fragmentation to defend our interests," mentioned Ding Tao. Moreover, all SCO member countries reiterated the idea of keeping national interests above all during the Astana meeting.

The partnership with the SCO presents a promising future for Azerbaijan and Türkiye in terms of trade boosts and additional bilateral investments. According to the Chinese diplomat, "Azerbaijan's establishment of a partnership dialogue with the SCO since 2016 was a positive signal for us. Within this partnership, China has allocated a quota for around 1000 Azerbaijani young specialists to be trained in Chinese facilities in the field of high technologies in the coming years." This emphasis on the potential benefits of the partnership will make the audience feel hopeful and positive about the future.

In response to a question from Caliber.Az regarding the prospects of bilateral trade, Ding Tao provided successful examples of partnership with Azerbaijan, particularly focusing on China's assistance to Baku in shifting to green energy, given his country's rich expertise in this field. Also, he mentioned that China, as part of an energy partnership, agreed to export newly-manufactured electric buses developed by China's BYD company to Azerbaijan.

In his final remark, Chinese Chargé d'affaires Ding Tao reaffirmed the hope and commitment to the China-Azerbaijan strategic partnership. He expressed confidence that this partnership will yield significant results for both parties and enhance Baku's partnership with the SCO in the coming years, instilling a sense of confidence and security in the audience.

To recap, the SCO leaders' summit took place in Astana on July 3-4, and it included leaders of partner countries such as Azerbaijan and Türkiye. While the Astana meeting resulted in Belarus’s admission to the SCO as a new member, Azerbaijan also signed a new agreement with China, thus upgrading its partnership to the strategic level.

The face-to-face meeting of President Ilham Aliyev with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, in Astana became an important milestone in China-Azerbaijan bilateral relations. During his speech, President Ilham Aliyev positively assessed the role of China and Chinese companies operating in Azerbaijan, emphasizing their high level of professionalism in carrying out projects in the country's technology, agricultural, and energy fields.