News

Azerbaijan and UK sign Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership

13 November 2026

On November 12, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Andy Burnham in Dublin.

They first exchanged the “Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”

According to the website of the Azerbaijan president, during the conversation, it was emphasized that the adoption of the Declaration would formally elevate relations between the two countries to a qualitatively new level. They noted that even before the adoption of the document, relations between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had already been characterized by a strategic partnership.

Touching upon more than 30 years of successful energy cooperation between the two countries, the head of state said that the United Kingdom is the largest European investor in Azerbaijan.

The sides noted that broad opportunities also exist for cooperation in renewable energy, high technologies and artificial intelligence. In this regard, the two leaders highlighted the importance of high-level official visits from the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan and discussions held in recent months.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on issues on the international agenda.

The full text of the Joint Declaration is published below:

Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

12 November 2026

The Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

(hereinafter referred to as “the Participants”),

Building on the longstanding relationship between the two countries and recalling the Joint Declaration on Friendship and Cooperation of 23 February 1994 and the Joint Declaration on Friendly Relations and Partnership of 21 July 1998, and recognising the strength, depth and dynamism of bilateral ties, express their shared determination to elevate relations to the level of a Strategic Partnership, grounded in mutual respect, shared interests and practical cooperation.

Reaffirming their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, principles and norms of international law, in particular those related to the inviolability of internationally recognised borders, respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Emphasizing the importance of the Washington Peace Summit Declaration of 8 August 2025 and welcoming the subsequent peace steps taken towards the normalisation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland reaffirms its continued support for efforts of the two countries aiming to achieve sustainable peace in the region through bilateral dialogue.

Acknowledging that strong, resilient and diversified economic growth, open trade, investment and innovation are essential foundations for long-term stability and prosperity for both Participants.

Recognising that enduring partnerships are built on trust, openness and strong people-to-people links, both sides affirm the importance of practical cooperation in education, science, innovation and skills as a foundation for long-term growth and digital transformation. The Participants further recognise the mutual benefit of direct engagement with communities and commit to supporting projects and programmes that deliver on the intent of this Partnership.

The Participants have reached the following understanding:

I. Defence and Security

The Participants share a long-term commitment to strengthening cooperation in defence and security in support of regional peace and stability, and to enhancing their ability to deter, prevent and respond to common threats.

They will commit to the sustained momentum of high-level engagement, and deepen coordination on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The Participants will advance defence cooperation focused on training, capacity building and interoperability, and will explore opportunities to enhance defence industry cooperation including joint initiatives in areas of mutual interests.

They will strengthen cooperation across a broad spectrum of security priorities, in response to evolving security challenges and threats.

Additionally, Participants will form enhanced law-enforcement partnerships and border management cooperation, and judicial and legal collaboration to strengthen the rule of law and institutional resilience.

They further affirm their intention to cooperate in multilateral fora where interests align, contributing jointly to international peace and security.

II. Trade, Investment and Growth

The Participants share an ambition to broaden and deepen bilateral trade and investment ties and to promote sustainable, inclusive and diversified economic growth.

They will strengthen cooperation in economy, trade and investment by facilitating long-term commercial partnerships, knowledge sharing, and engagement across priority sectors, including renewable energy, infrastructure and services, and by promoting business-to-business links that generate jobs, skills and value in both economies.

The Participants underline the importance of regional and international connectivity and will support the development of the Middle Corridor, alongside transport, logistics and infrastructure projects that facilitate cross-border trade and investment.

They will cooperate on the clean energy transition, including renewable energy development, green finance, and low-carbon technologies, to support climate resilience, sustainability and progress towards net-zero objectives, and energy security.

The Participants will explore opportunities to deepen cooperation in financial and capital markets, including through dialogue between relevant authorities and financial institutions, with a view to supporting sustainable investment, trade finance, SME growth and green finance. They will facilitate knowledge exchange and institutional cooperation that strengthens financial sector resilience, transparency and access to international markets, in accordance with their respective laws and regulations.

The Participants attach particular importance to the role of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation as a mechanism for driving economic, trade and investment cooperation, and technical dialogue. They will use this as the principal platform to advance joint initiatives on investment, economic diversification, Middle Corridor development and energy cooperation.

III. Education and Innovation

The Participants recognise that education, science, research and innovation are essential enablers of long-term prosperity, productivity and social resilience, and a foundation for modern, competitive and inclusive economies.

They will deepen cooperation in education and skills development, including higher education, vocational education and training, digital and technical skills, and executive and public-sector training, in response to evolving labour market and governance needs.

The Participants will promote research, innovation and technological cooperation, including partnerships between universities, research institutions and industry, collaborating on digitalisation, emerging technologies and life sciences, including through the exchange of expertise on artificial intelligence, digital governance and innovation landscape, with a focus on skills development, transparency and inclusive growth.

The Participants will encourage people-to-people exchanges and professional networks that foster mutual understanding, cultural ties and long-term collaboration between the two civil societies.

Final Provisions

The Participants have reached an understanding to hold an annual Strategic Partnership meeting to review progress across the three pillars of this Declaration, set priorities for future cooperation and agree on practical follow-up.

Cooperation under this Declaration will be subject to the availability of resources and in accordance with the respective laws and regulations of the Participants.

Adopted in Dublin on 12 November 2026 in two original copies in the Azerbaijani and English languages, both texts being equally authentic.

source: commonspace.eu with president.az (Baku)

Latest

Editor's choice

Monday Commentary

Monday Commentary: PEACE IN OUR TIME?

19 October 2026

Making peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan was never going to be simple, nor easy, nor quick. It is taking time, writes Dennis Sammut in this Monday Commentary. “There is a sense of realism coming from the leaders of the two countries – President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and prime minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, that frankly, is necessary and welcome”, he writes. At a time when conflicts are raging all over the world – from Ukraine to the Gulf, from Africa to South Asia, the prospect that Armenia and Azerbaijan had finally, after decades of conflict that left thousands of dead and many more displaced, decided on embarking on a journey of peace was welcomed. Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be top-down up to a point. Both leaders have spent political capital preparing for a peace deal. But both are aware that their people are not ready for peace yet. In fact, in Armenia, most of the elite are negative toward a peace deal with Azerbaijan. Pashinyan needs time to persuade his countryfolk. That is why 2031 is realistic. Ilham Aliyev runs a tighter shop, but he is also not immune to public opinion. Every time someone hits a landmine in Karabakh, which unfortunately happens often, peace comes into question. Which is why Aliyev chooses to sound hardline, more often than not. In pursuing the peace agenda, both Aliyev and Pashinyan need to proceed cautiously. But they are right in making peace the central issue in their agenda. It is the main issue, and the one that will define them in history. So forward, cautiously but resolutely! In pursuing the peace agenda, Aliyev and Pashinyan need to be supported clearly and unambiguously. There are too many people in Baku and Yerevan who are sitting on the sides, waiting. The international community is not doing enough. It is time to be counted. Otherwise, the spoilers will win, and the region will go back to its bad habits. (Click the image to read the full commentary).

Dennis Sammut

Editor's choice

News

Azerbaijan and UK sign Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership

13 November 2026

On November 12, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Andy Burnham in Dublin. They first exchanged the “Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” During the conversation, it was emphasized that the adoption of the Declaration would formally elevate relations between the two countries to a qualitatively new level. They noted that even before the adoption of the document, relations between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had already been characterized by a strategic partnership. Touching upon more than 30 years of successful energy cooperation between the two countries, the head of state said that the United Kingdom is the largest European investor in Azerbaijan. The sides noted that broad opportunities also exist for cooperation in renewable energy, high technologies and artificial intelligence. In this regard, the two leaders highlighted the importance of high-level official visits from the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan and discussions held in recent months. The meeting also included an exchange of views on issues on the international agenda.

Last week I visited Baku, Azerbaijan. My visit was relatively short, but very intensive, and had many meetings with stakeholders and colleagues. When I arrived in Baku first time in 1996, Azerbaijan was a different country: weak, poor, and shaken by defeat in war. For thirty year the Karabakh issue dominated the agenda: the political agenda but also the popular mindset. Now, thirty years later, Azerbaijan has returned to Karabakh, and peace with Armenia is on the horizon. It is a new era for Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, for the South Caucasus, but also for Europe. But we cannot be complacent: the Peace agreement has been initialed but not signed; borders remain closed; TRIPP is ambitious but remains an idea; and there are spoilers who want to turn the clock back. We must not allow them, and in this Europe and Azerbaijan must work together. Europe’ vanguard organization is the European Union – it is a free union of 27 member states; it is a strong global economic force, and increasingly a diplomatic and military force too. But it remains “work in progress” and can often appear dysfunctional. It often lacks collective and institutional memory. In its dealings with Azerbaijan the EU has made many mistakes – not least opening the delegation here late – in 2008. It sometimes appears condescending. Some utterances from the European Parliament and from some quarters in some member states are not understandable even for me. They irritate the Azerbaijanis, but serve no other purpose But Azerbaijan has also not handled relations with the EU well. It has failed to respond when the hand of friendship reached out; and it confused irritating actions, sometimes by well-meaning people; sometimes by outright spoilers, with strategic action. In short, EU-Azerbaijan relations have suffered from a lack of proper dialogue. This dialogue must be frank, honest and multi-faceted involving different segments of society on both sides. Is Azerbaijan Europe? When Azerbaijan applied to join the Council of Europe in the 1990s, there were some who opposed, saying this was not Europe. I was one of the people who argued that Armenia and Azerbaijan may be on the periphery of the continent geographically, but were European in essence. Certainly their elites. During the discussion on 4 September in Baku, my friend Farhad Mammedov, mentioned that Azerbaijan is not interested in joining the EU, and was now close to the Central Asian countries in the 5 plus 1 format. Neither things mean that Azerbaijan is not Europe. There are several European countries that are not in the EU, and do not want to be, for example Norway and Switzerland. Iceland has recently voted to stay out of the EU. The UK was a member and left. Europe is bigger than the EU, and the holding of the European Political Community summit in Baku in 2027 proves that. Despite all the rhetoric, I never heard the president of Azerbaijan saying that Azerbaijan is not Europe, nor have I heard any European president say it either. Not wanting to join the EU and forging close relations with neighbouring regions does not make Azerbaijan any less European. It is only logical that when Europeans talk to Azerbaijan they talk like family. The conversation is often frank. It must also be honest, and Europeans need always to remember this too. A frank, honest and multi-faceted dialogue A frank, honest and multifaceted dialogue will contribute to relations between Azerbaijan and the rest of Europe: it will avoid misperception, which unfortunately is very common on both sides; it will provide a forum where problems can be discussed and resolved, and it will increase mutual trust, so that together common problems can be addressed. (click image to read the full Monday Commentary)

Dennis Sammut

Editor's choice

Monday Commentary

Monday Commentary: “The barren rocks of Aden” and “These lands of Yemen are so ruthless”

21 September 2026

There are two early 20th-century tunes that mark foreign attempts to occupy and “pacify” Yemen. The Scottish tune “The barren rocks of Aden” marks the mobilisation of Highland soldiers, enlisted to be deployed to the Yemeni port of Aden, that in 1837 became the last colony to be incorporated into the British Empire. The tune talks of the harshness of the terrain, but is celebratory, It was even played as a farewell tune to Sir William Luce at the parade in Sharjah celebrating his end as “British Viceroy” in the Middle East in 1966. The second tune is an Anatolian lament. As Ilker Sezer reminded us this weekend, in his weekly feature on “Turkiye Today”, it “mourns the tragic fate of Ottoman soldiers dispatched to the harsh, remote deserts of Yemen during the fall of the empire, young men who marched away from their villages and never returned home. Most of their names, and numbers, were never recorded. Yet, their fate left a mark on the Turkish psyche.” Subsequent invaders have discovered that Yemen is a grave that cannot be overcome by the strength of modern technology, and that whilst Yemeni society is splintered and divided, building a reliable alliance with Yemeni factions is difficult. These are the harsh lessons facing Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom faces its biggest challenge in its modern history. The leadership of the Kingdom now has to respond decisively. At stake is their very credibility. This is likely to be a long and messy conflict. Saudi military objectives need to be focused: to box in the Houthis rather than destroy them. This is likely to include: (a) regaining territory lost on the Red Sea coast; (b) control over Bab el Mandeb Strait; (c) some kind of cordon sanitaire on the Saudi-Yemeni border; and if things go well (d) the capture of Sanaa. All this would not eliminate the Houthi problem, but it will contain it. In the end the Saudis will have to continue managing Yemen with a mixture of carrot and stick. For the moment, the stick is likely, but the carrot cannot be forgotten either. (click the image to read the Monday Commentary in full)

Dennis Sammut

Azerbaijan and UK sign Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership

Latest

Monday Commentary: PEACE IN OUR TIME?

Azerbaijan and UK sign Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership

Popular

Monday Commentary: European-Azerbaijan relations need an intensive and multifaceted dialogue that is frank and honest

Monday Commentary: “The barren rocks of Aden” and “These lands of Yemen are so ruthless”