In recent years, political dialogue and economic partnership relations between Azerbaijan and China have been expanding further. Personal relations of leaders play an important role in the formation and development of interstate relations. Visits between officials of the two countries have intensified, and negotiations and agreements in all areas have taken on a dynamic character. Chinese President Xi Jinping has always highly appreciated the role of the President of Azerbaijan in the highly dynamic development of bilateral relations and called President Ilham Aliyev a great friend of China. All this can be considered an indicator that dynamic mutual relations have reached a new stage.
Parvin Karimzade, a deputy of the Milli Majlis and a member of the Board of Directors of the New Azerbaijan Party, expressed these views to EDnews.She said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his views on Azerbaijani-Chinese relations in an interview with the Chinese Xinhua News Agency and highly appreciated the relations between the countries. Political relations between the two countries are also at a high level. In the interview, the President recalled that our countries signed a Declaration on Strategic Partnership last year and emphasized: "On July 3 last year, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held in Astana, the "Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China" was adopted.
The Declaration specifically noted that since the establishment of diplomatic relations on April 2, 1992, our bilateral cooperation has yielded many fruitful results. At the same time, we agreed to expand cooperation in the future, strengthen mutual cooperation in international issues, jointly defend the common interests of the two countries, and jointly promote regional and global peace, stability and development." As the head of state stated, the Joint Declaration is a historic event and opens a new page in Azerbaijan-China relations. The adopted Declaration turns China and Azerbaijan into official strategic partners, and this is a great achievement and a great responsibility.
According to the deputy, both countries have always supported each other's territorial integrity. During the 30-year occupation by Armenia, China has unequivocally recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, has always supported Beijing's "One China" policy. At the same time, as a result of the long-standing friendly relations between the peoples of China and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support the "One Belt, One Road" initiative put forward by China. In this regard, Azerbaijan plays the role of a logistics center, a junction and a bridge in the implementation of the "One Belt, One Road" strategy. Overall, Azerbaijan is a leading state in the South Caucasus region, as well as being located at the junction of North and South, East and West, and playing the role of a bridge between the Asian and European continents. In this regard, Azerbaijan has a transport and geopolitical position advantage.
The transport and logistics advantage of Azerbaijan, which plays a very important role for the ancient Silk Road and the modern "One Belt, One Road" strategy, is clearly evident. In addition, important infrastructure projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line, which provides the shortest railway connection between Europe and China, and the Alat International Sea Trade Port, are of great importance for the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and regional cooperation in general. Thanks to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, the time for transporting goods from China to Europe has been significantly reduced.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project also demonstrates that Azerbaijan plays a very important role in the field of railway transport. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which provides the shortest railway connection between Europe and Asia, opens up new economic opportunities not only for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, but also for countries located in the Eurasian region in general.China, which is the world's largest exporter and second largest importer, is also very interested in this railway. This railway will also increase the effectiveness of the “One Belt, One Road” strategy.
As the head of state said in an interview, the Central Corridor is currently a reliable and safe route connecting Europe and Central Asia with China via the Caspian Sea, as well as the most optimal way to deliver cargo from China to Europe and vice versa. Its importance is growing rapidly.Azerbaijan-China relations are developing successfully. The points mentioned in President Ilham Aliyev’s interview indicate that our mutual relations will further improve.
Madina Mammadova\\EDnews
