U.N. Refugee Agency announces budget cuts despite growing displacement
The U.N. agency responsible for providing humanitarian aid and support for displaced people has announced cuts in its 2026 budget due to financial con...
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech at the SCO Plus meeting held in Tianjin, China, emphasising Azerbaijan’s strategic partnership with China and its key role in regional connectivity and global cooperation.
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev
- Dear President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping.
Dear heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Xi Jinping for the invitation, as well as for the warm welcome and excellent organization of the event.
I congratulate friendly China on its successful presidency of the SCO and wish you every success in achieving the objectives set forth.
Azerbaijan and China enjoy warm and friendly relations and a comprehensive strategic partnership. Deepening these relations is one of the important directions of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.
Over the past two years, our relations have risen to a qualitatively new level. Last year, we established a strategic partnership within the framework of the SCO Summit in Astana. A Joint Statement on the Establishment of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was signed during my state visit to China this year. This historic event opened a new chapter in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations.
Azerbaijan has actively supported the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China to promote international peace, security and development. We also welcome the Global Governance Initiative put forward by the President of the People's Republic of China as an important and timely measure aimed at improving international relations based on the sovereign equality of states and respect for the UN Charter and international law. Azerbaijan and China strengthen cooperation across the entire spectrum of the bilateral agenda. It includes political, trade and economic sectors, investment, energy, transport and logistics, development of the digital economy, science and technology, education and culture. Since July this year, a visa-free regime has been in effect for citizens of both countries, which has given further impetus to the development of tourism.
Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of China in the region. We contribute to maintaining international and regional peace and security, and implement large-scale economic, transport and energy projects.
Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support the One Belt, One Road initiative put forward by the President of the People's Republic of China. We are implementing substantial practical projects in this direction.
Azerbaijan is one of the transport and logistical hubs of Eurasia. We are actively developing international transport corridors and creating modern infrastructure. The East-West and North-South corridors have opened up new economic transport prospects.
Azerbaijan intends to increase the throughput capacity of the Alat International Sea Port from 15 to 25 million tons per year. The Middle Corridor represents a reliable and safe route connecting China, Central Asia with Europe through Azerbaijan. Since 2022, the volume of cargo traffic along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan has grown by almost 90 percent. The transit time for cargo along this corridor has been significantly reduced.
Recent agreements connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are expected to further expand transit capabilities for international transportation.
I am confident that the Zangezur Corridor will soon become another important segment of the Middle Corridor, as well as the North-South Corridor, which will contribute to enhancing peace, multilateral partnership and benefit all of Azerbaijan's close and distant neighbors to the east, west, north and south of our borders.
In conclusion, let me once again thank the esteemed President Xi Jinping for the invitation and wish the Summit participants fruitful work.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
The OSCE has ended the Minsk Process, declaring its past decisions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict invalid after both countries jointly requested closure of the structures.
On September 1, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Tianjin, China, emphasising strong bilateral ties, regional cooperation, and shared achievements in peace and diplomacy.
Thousands of mourners gathered in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Monday for the funeral of 12 senior Houthi officials, including their prime minister, killed in an Israeli airstrike. The group vowed revenge and pledged intensified action against perceived enemies and spies.
On the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in Tianjin, China on Monday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment