On December 8, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held an expanded meeting with Peter Pellegrini, President of the Slovak Republic, in Bratislava, APA reports.

Addressing the meeting, President of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini said:

• Dear Mr. President and members of the Azerbaijani delegation,

It is a great honor for us to welcome you to Slovakia, to Bratislava. You have greatly honored us by deciding to visit Slovakia. This is the first official visit by the President of Azerbaijan in the history of the Slovak Republic. Although you visited Slovakia 20 years ago, it was not an official visit and was probably related to participation in a conference or another event. I am also very grateful to you for visiting us with such a large delegation of government members. In our view, this visit should send a strong signal: our relations are not only friendly, but they also hold tremendous potential for further development. We will review many areas. I am grateful for the very sincere discussion in the one-on-one meeting, which I truly appreciate. I also hope that we will have ample opportunity to go over our agenda in great detail during the dinner reception and the state banquet at Bratislava Castle.

Let me emphasize again that you are visiting your friends. We consider you and your country as our friends because we have had the opportunity to meet on multiple occasions. I am very pleased that during my visit as Prime Minister, when I met with you, we decided to strengthen our relations. We concluded that it would be beneficial to open an embassy in Baku. As a government, we made that decision, and you made the same decision as well. I am very pleased that ambassadors are now seated at the table – one from Bratislava, the other from Baku. I believe this was a very useful step. We also decided to establish a Commission between our countries. The last meeting of the Commission was held in 2024, and the next meeting is scheduled for 2026. In short, things are progressing well.

Of course, I should also mention the numerous visits by other government members. These include not only visits by the President and Prime Ministers but also by other officials. I am very pleased that the Minister of Defense informed me that his visit was successful. He was also invited to the parade celebrating an important national holiday and reported that he had excellent meetings in his field, as he is a very active minister himself. The potential for cooperation is great.

The Minister of Economy is also here. This is a very important topic for us at the moment because, regarding energy supply, Slovakia is currently in a challenging situation. We see that Azerbaijan can be part of the long-term solution for us. The European Union has decided to completely ban the imports of Russian gas into Slovakia, a decision made on behalf of all 27 member states. There is very little time. The heads of our companies are also here. I am very glad that you have included the president of SOCAR in the delegation, which allows us to have a very concrete conversation. Azerbaijan can play a role in diversifying our energy supply because, Mr. President, we are currently at the end of the pipeline. In fact, we have always been at the beginning in the direction of Western Europe, but now we are at the end of the pipeline. You can imagine how costly this is. Once again, Mr. President, you are welcome. It is a great honor for us and for the entire Slovak people to welcome you here.

x x x

Speaking next, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said:

• Thank you. Thank you very much for the kind words, Mr. President. I am sincerely grateful to you for the invitation and the hospitality extended. I am very pleased that we are meeting here in Bratislava. First of all, I recall our meeting in Baku, and I would like to express my gratitude once again for your participation in the COP29 conference. We had the opportunity to discuss matters in great detail. You mentioned your visit as Prime Minister and the opening of the embassy. Indeed, we have entered an active phase of relations between Slovakia and Azerbaijan. Today, these relations have reached the level of a strategic partnership. Last year, we signed the Declaration on Strategic Partnership, which elevated our relations to the highest level. We are also very grateful that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Mr. Kaliňák, participated in our military parade last month. We view this as a clear sign of strong friendship between our countries. Over the past years, our relations have developed considerably and now cover a wide range of areas.

You mentioned the energy sector. Last year, we began supplying gas to Slovakia, and we are ready to continue doing so whenever appropriate. Our cooperation in the field of defense and the defense industry holds tremendous potential for the future. Important work has already been done, but much remains to be accomplished. We are also grateful for the support of Slovak companies that are actively involved in the reconstruction of Garabagh.

x x x

The President of Slovakia also congratulated the President of Azerbaijan on the historic achievement of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the congratulations.

During the conversation, both sides expressed satisfaction with the participation of Slovak companies, as a friendly country, in the reconstruction of the liberated village of Bash Garvand in the Aghdam district under the “smart village” concept. They also praised the successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and Slovakia in the fields of energy, transport, and the defense industry. It was noted that Slovakia has supported the development of Azerbaijan’s relations with the European Union.

President Ilham Aliyev invited the President of Slovakia to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan, and the invitation was gratefully accepted.

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On December 8, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held an expanded meeting with Peter Pellegrini, President of the Slovak Republic, in Bratislava, APA’s correspondent dispatched to Slovakia reports.