External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar called on Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in Baku today and discussed important regional and global developments from a strategic perspective. Dr Jaishankar said India and Azerbaijan are both independent-minded nations who make their own call on important issues of the day. He said the discussions were focused and forward looking and they exchanged views on various aspects of the bilateral relationship. The External Affairs Minister said that India and Azerbaijan have a long history of cultural and people to people exchanges. He added that both nations respect each others values and that provides a good foundation to work towards a more contemporary partnership.
Dr Jaishankar also held discussions with Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. Both Ministers discussed further expanding bilateral relations. They spoke about economic cooperation, including in trade, investment and energy which are central to bilateral ties. He expressed belief that there is very good scope for further enhancement of bilateral trade and investment.