‘The EU and its southern neighbourhood: the need for open minds, open ears, and open eyes’

On October 23, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India. The Minister first conveyed the greetings of Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the head of state. Recalling the meeting between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of India in Bishkek, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that he was visiting Azerbaijan on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked the Minister to convey his regards to the President and Prime Minister of India. The head of state fondly recalled his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bishkek and the exchange of views during that meeting. President Ilham Aliyev highly appreciated the visit of India’s Minister of External Affairs to Azerbaijan on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stressing its importance for discussing the current state and prospects of bilateral relations. During the meeting, the sides held an extensive exchange of views on the current state of relations between Azerbaijan and India, highlighting ample opportunities to develop cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The sides noted that Azerbaijan and India, as members of the Global South, share similar positions on a number of issues on the international agenda, including matters of concern to countries of the Global South. In this regard, they discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in political, trade and economic, high-tech, cultural, humanitarian and other fields. The conversation also touched upon the importance of cooperation within international organizations. The sides emphasized the need to intensify political contacts and organize reciprocal visits at various levels, including exchanges involving economic and business delegations, to further advance bilateral relations.