UK trade envoy embarks on official visit to Azerbaijan

UK Trade Envoy Lord John Alderdice has begun an official visit to Azerbaijan.

The visit will continue until December 13 and includes a series of meetings, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

This marks Lord John Alderdice’s first official trip to Azerbaijan in his role as trade envoy.

Lord Alderdice was formally named UK Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia at the end of January 2025, when the UK government assigned 32 parliamentarians to lead trade‑envoy missions covering 79 markets.

He is a member of the House of Lords and previously served from 1998 to 2004 as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Before this appointment, he has held multiple roles — including in public life oversight, mental‑health legislation and parliamentary committees — and also leads organisations focused on peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Trade between the United Kingdom and Azerbaijan has surged sharply in 2025.

According to the UK government’s 2025 fact sheet, total UK trade (goods + services) with Azerbaijan reached about £911 million in the four quarters to the end of the second quarter of 2025.

Economic cooperation remains heavily influenced by Azerbaijan’s energy sector: oil and gas exports are among the main pillars of UK-Azerbaijan trade, making energy a key basis for bilateral economic ties.

Beyond energy, trade also includes machinery, automotive vehicles and industrial goods — demonstrating that relations go beyond hydrocarbons and touch on broader commercial exchange.

By Jeyhun Aghazada