A round table was held at the Ukrainian embassy in Azerbaijan on Monday to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Addressing the event, Ukrainian ambassador Alexander Mishchenko said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is to pay a visit to Ukraine this year, adding that a group of Ukrainian MPs are also to make a visit to Azerbaijan within the framework of the inter-parliamentary friendship group, APA reported.  

The diplomat said Azerbaijan is a priority country in Ukraine’s foreign policy.

Mishchenko noted that Kiev is determined to support Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and considers unacceptable the status quo in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “This was confirmed once again during President Poroshenko’s visit to Azerbaijan in July 2016,” he said.

The ambassador said a few Ukrainians have lost their lives defending Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, noting that he appreciates Baku backing the UN resolutions concerning Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

According to him, the development of bilateral relations gives impetus to the deepening of cooperation in trade and economy, transport, military-technical and energy fields.

Ilgar Mukhtarov, director of the second Department for Europe at the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in his speech that Azerbaijan-Ukraine ties have moved only forward over the past 25 years.

“During the presidency of Heydar Aliyev, nearly 130 bilateral documents were signed between the two countries and the bilateral relations reached a strategic level,” Mukhtarov said. “A Council of Presidents was established between the two countries during the presidency of Ilham Aliyev.”

He noted that Azerbaijan always feels Ukraine's support for its territorial integrity and, in turn, opposes double standards of international organizations towards the issue related to Ukraine.

The event was attended by officials, politicians and representatives of the Ukrainian community in Azerbaijan.