Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday said his country wishes to deepen ties with Bangladesh and take the bilateral relationship with Bangladesh to a new height.
President Aliyev made the comments when he met Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the COP 29 global climate conference in Azerbaijan capital Baku.
The Azerbaijan President said a high-level team of the Azerbaijani government will visit Bangladesh early next year in a move to explore a comprehensive array of engagements with Bangladesh.
He said his country was keen to invest in Bangladesh and was exploring the possibility of opening a resident embassy in Dhaka as both nations see increasing opportunities for trade, commerce, and international cooperation.
President Aliyev also praised the student-led July August revolution, saying he has been following events in Bangladesh for months. He mentioned a youth self-employment program underway in Azerbaijan that was inspired by Professor Yunus’ ideas.
He congratulated Professor Muhammad Yunus for assuming the leadership of the Interim Government and said Bangladesh will grow and prosper under his leadership.
"Your task is very challenging. But I know you are the one who can surmount the challenge," President Aliyev said.
Chief Adviser Professor Yunus also called for stronger ties between the two nations. He said both nations could prosper if there were increased bilateral trade, people-to-people interactions, and cooperation in major international forums.
Professor Yunus also stressed job opportunities for more Bangladeshis in the oil-rich central Asian nations. Hundreds of Bangladeshis have found jobs in the shipbuilding industry in the country in recent years.
President Aliyev said Azerbaijan has fought corruption through the digitalisation of its services. He expressed his interest in sharing their digitalisation experiences with Bangladesh.
Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy of the Chief Adviser; Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and Principal Coordinator of SDG Affairs; and M. Amanul Haq, the Bangladesh ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan, also attended the meeting.
