Qatar and Azerbaijan hold first round of political consultations

On December 1, 2019 the first round of political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar was held in Doha, Qatar.

The Azerbaijani side was represented at the meeting by HE Mr. Ramiz Hasanov the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, while the Qatari side headed by HE Mr. Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar

The sides exchanged views on a number of issues of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Qatar. Discussions were held on the prospects for developing cooperation between the two countries in political, economic, agricultural, tourism, scientific, educational, cultural and other fields.

Qatar's State Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Sultan bin Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi said that it was nice to have the first meeting of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries in Doha, noting that his country attaches great importance to the comprehensive development of relations with Azerbaijan and said that the cooperation between the two countries in various fields was successfully continued.

In his turn, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ramiz Hasanov noted the high level political relations between Azerbaijan and Qatar and emphasized the role of political consultations in the development of bilateral relations, as well as strengthening of diplomatic relations. The Deputy Minister spoke about the importance of exchanging high-level visits between the two countries, noting the official visits of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, to the State of Qatar. Mr. Hasanov also informed the counterpart on the steps and measures taken to diversify the economy in Azerbaijan.

Deputy Minister R. Hasanov also said that Armenia's occupation policy is a serious threat to security in the region and gave detailed information on the history, current situation and negotiations process of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Deputy Minister recalled the relevant resolutions and decisions of the UN Security Council, as well as other international organizations, which are condeming the use of force against Azerbaijan and the occupation of its territories and reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, in addition to calling for immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. In this regard, Mr. Hasanov expressed gratitude to the State of Qatar for its support of Azerbaijan in the just settlement of the conflict within the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

In turn, Mr. Al-Muraikhi stressed that Qatar fully supports the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and peaceful settlement of the conflict. He agreed with the idea that the conflict poses a threat to peace and stability not only in Azerbaijan but also in the whole region, and stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of the conflict. Mr. Al-Muraikhi said Qatar has been and will continue to be with Azerbaijan in all decisions and resolutions on the issue.

The sides exchanged views on cooperation within international organizations, as well as other regional and international issues of mutual interest, and agreed to hold annual political consultations.