BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 18. As part of his working visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elchin Amirbayov held talks with Dutch officials and discussed bilateral relations, Trend reports.
The meeting includes key figures such as Aukje de Vries, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Christiaan Rebergen, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Marcel de Vink, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Jost van Doeteveen, Deputy Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands on National Security; Koen Petersen, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Development Committee of the Dutch Senate; as well as other committee members and influential government and political figures.
During the meetings, discussions focused on key dimensions of the bilateral relationship between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands.
At the meeting, it was emphasized that this year has seen positive dynamics in political relations between the two countries. The most significant outcome in this regard was the meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Dick Schoof at the Copenhagen Summit of the European Political Union, where an agreement was reached to strengthen cooperation in several areas. It was also noted that meetings between foreign ministers, consultations between foreign ministries, and mutual visits by deputy foreign ministers and other officials throughout the year had contributed to continuous political dialogue.
During the visit, special attention was paid to organising high-level mutual visits, conducting ongoing political consultations, and identifying new areas of cooperation. The current level of cooperation in various fields was reviewed, and prospects for further development and new priority areas of mutual interest were discussed.
The parties emphasized that not only intergovernmental dialogue but also interparliamentary cooperation can contribute to strengthening trust between countries and deepening mutual understanding. Topics such as steps that can be taken to develop relations between the parliaments of both countries, the organization of mutual visits by parliamentarians, and the activities of friendship groups were discussed.
Amirbayov briefed the parties on Azerbaijan and Armenia's peaceful agenda, the necessary conditions for ensuring sustainable peace in the South Caucasus region, the consistent political line and concrete steps taken by Azerbaijan in this context, large-scale restoration and reconstruction work in the liberated territories, as well as the problems caused by mine contamination of the territories. The Dutch side, in turn, welcomed the progress in normalizing relations and expressed its full support for the peace process.
The meetings also included an exchange of views on the current state and prospects of Azerbaijani-European relations, bilateral documents under discussion, and the formation of regional transport links. It was emphasized that 2025 will be characterized by positive dynamics in relations between the EU and Azerbaijan, and the importance of maintaining and further developing this momentum in the coming months was stressed.
The official emphasized that the document “EU-Armenia Strategic Partnership Agenda,” adopted in early December this year, does not reflect the current realities in the region, and expressed hope that the European Union's efforts to support the normalization process will contribute to strengthening peace and stability between Azerbaijan and Armenia, will not undermine trust between the parties, and will not complicate relations between Azerbaijan and the EU.
The visit was also important in terms of holding a detailed exchange of views on strengthening the economic partnership between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands. In this regard, at a broad meeting attended by the head of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Erik Weststrate, Special Envoy for Trade, Mark Hasselaar, and the heads of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Confederation of Industry and Entrepreneurs (VNO-NCW), opportunities for cooperation in areas such as agriculture, water management, port infrastructure, transport, logistics, renewable energy, high technology, urban planning, strengthening trade, and taking concrete measures to promote mutual investment were discussed. The Dutch side expressed interest in comprehensive cooperation with Azerbaijan and stated its support for deepening relations in potential areas in the near future.
As part of the visit, the Clingendael Institute of International Relations, the Netherlands' leading think tank, organized a roundtable discussion. Speaking at the round table, which was attended by experts specializing in our region, representatives of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and leading media outlets, the representative of the president spoke about the geopolitical processes taking place in the South Caucasus, the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijan's relations with the EU, NATO, and the Netherlands, and answered numerous questions from participants.
Throughout his visit, Amirbayov also gave an interview to the Holland Times newspaper and representatives of think tanks located in The Hague.
