Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Visits Serbia

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

On Dec. 23, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov arrived in Belgrade, where he attended the opening of the Ambassadorial Conference and spoke with Serbia's most senior officials.

Bayramov said relations between his country and Serbia were dynamic, that the political dialogue was excellent and that cooperation between the parliaments was good, as was cooperation in international organizations. However, he said to reporters, the current level of trade and economic ties does not reflect their true potential and Azerbaijan wants to work on developing it.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic discussed the current geopolitical landscape, the situation in the region, energy security and bilateral relations between Serbia and Azerbaijan with Bayramov, focusing especially on economic cooperation, military industry cooperation and Azerbaijan's participation in the Expo 27 specialized exhibition.

In a post on his Instagram profile, Vucic said plans to jointly build a gas-fired power plant outside Nis as an additional source of power for Serbian citizens were of "exceptional importance."

In a talk with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, Bayramov stressed the importance of mutual visits by senior Azerbaijani and Serbian officials and stressed that it was necessary to maintain momentum in that area, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry said in a press release.

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said after meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart that cooperation between Belgrade and Baku would be stronger and more intensive next year, and that the two sides would continue their high-level strategic dialogue. He added that negotiations were ongoing on establishing a direct flight between the two states' capitals.

Bayramov also met with Serbian parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic. The two officials agreed that relations between the two countries rested on years of friendship, mutual trust and adherence to the fundamental principles of international law, the Serbian parliament said in a press release.