Azerbaijan’s foreign minister to visit Kuwait for high-level talks in April

• Yalchin Ilkar Rafiyev, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that Azerbaijan and Kuwait share strong ties, with excellent political cooperation and mutual support, which must be complemented by economic and trade collaboration.

• Rafiyev urged Kuwaiti investors to explore profitable opportunities in clean energy and food supply, highlighting Azerbaijan’s readiness to export food products to Kuwait.

• There are currently three daily flights between Kuwait and Azerbaijan operated by different airlines, which reflects the growing interest of Kuwaitis in visiting Azerbaijan, as well as Azerbaijanis in visiting Kuwait.

Yalchin Ilkar Rafiyev, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, announced that Foreign Minister Jeyhun Aziz oglu Bayramov will visit Kuwait at the end of April to participate in the Joint Commission meetings and discuss key initiatives and commitments of mutual interest.

During a press conference held at the conclusion of his meetings in Kuwait with Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Al-Jaber and several officials, and in the presence of H. E. Emil Karimov, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Kuwait, Rafiyev stated that “Azerbaijan and Kuwait are brotherly countries, and we consider Kuwait one of our closest friends worldwide. Whether bilaterally or within international organizations, we have excellent cooperation and a strong record of mutual support. At the same time, we believe that this strong political partnership must be complemented by economic and trade collaboration.”

Strong cooperation in humanitarian efforts

He continued, “At present, we need to further strengthen our trade and economic partnership. I am confident that our visit, followed by the meeting of the joint committee between the two countries, will contribute significantly to this goal. Additionally, we have strong cooperation in humanitarian efforts, education, and fostering communication between our peoples, which is essential.”

31,000 Kuwaiti tourists visited Azerbaijan in 2024

Rafiyev added, “Last year, we welcomed approximately 31,000 Kuwaiti tourists to Azerbaijan—a remarkable number considering Kuwait’s population. There are currently three daily flights between Kuwait and Azerbaijan operated by different airlines, which reflects the growing interest of Kuwaitis in visiting Azerbaijan, as well as Azerbaijanis in visiting Kuwait.”

“The exchange of high-level visits is crucial for strengthening our bilateral relations. Today, we met at the level of deputy ministers, and our Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, is scheduled to visit Kuwait on April 29–30. Furthermore, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevhas extended an invitation to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and we hope His Highness will visit Azerbaijan this year.”

Regarding the outcomes of his meetings in Kuwait, Rafiyev said, “We had extensive discussions on a wide range of issues lasting about two hours, covering bilateral and regional matters. We exchanged views on global politics, the main challenges facing the international system, and ways to coordinate our activities in response to these challenges.”

Azerbaijan, Kuwait to sign several agreements

He clarified, “We have not signed any agreements or memorandums of understanding, as such agreements are typically signed at the ministerial or head-of-state level. However, there are pending agreements that we expect to be signed during our Foreign Minister’s visit to Kuwait or at the presidential level.”

He added, “In our meetings with the Investment Authority and the Minister of Trade and Industry, we discussed ways to strengthen our economic, trade, and investment relations. The current trade figures are very low and do not reflect the strong friendship and brotherhood between our two countries. We need to significantly increase trade exchange, and one of the solutions we proposed is to build stronger trade ties.”

Azerbaijan-Kuwait business forum set for April

“To address this, we decided to organize a business forum alongside the Joint Committee meeting at the end of April. As I mentioned, our Foreign Minister will be visiting Kuwait, possibly accompanied by Azerbaijani business owners and institutions, who will have the opportunity to meet with their Kuwaiti counterparts. This platform will help us find practical solutions to boost trade between our two countries.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan also encouraged Kuwaiti businessmen and investors “to explore investment opportunities in Azerbaijan’s energy sector, particularly in clean and renewable energy, which can be highly profitable. Major Gulf companies, such as ACWA Power from Saudi Arabia and Masdar from the United Arab Emirates, have already begun investing in Azerbaijan. We have also invited Kuwaiti companies to participate in renewable and green energy projects.”

Growth in Azerbaijan’s non-oil sector

He further emphasized that “agriculture is another sector with great potential in Azerbaijan, as we are actively working to develop our non-oil industries. The growth of the non-oil sector is largely driven by advancements in agriculture, presenting significant opportunities for companies to invest in Azerbaijan’s agricultural sector.”

He continued, “As you know, 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory was completely destroyed during the years of Armenian occupation. Now, many countries have expressed their readiness to participate in the reconstruction of these areas. We have invited some Kuwaiti businessmen to visit Azerbaijan and the liberated territories so they can see firsthand the key investment opportunities available.”

Food security

Regarding food security, Rafiyev emphasized, “There are Azerbaijani companies ready to supply food products to the Kuwaiti market. We are currently working on identifying the most efficient logistical solutions. Land shipping is not ideal due to extreme weather conditions for most of the year, which makes it difficult to transport fresh products via land freight. However, with the existing flights and air cargo services between our countries, we believe the logistics situation has improved. I am confident that we will see positive results soon, with Azerbaijani products appearing on supermarket shelves in Kuwait.”

Rafiyev further noted, “There are only three joint committees chaired by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister—namely with Lithuania, Morocco, and Kuwait—which highlights the significance we place on our relations with Kuwait. We see Azerbaijan as an important link between Central Asia and the Arabian Gulf region, which is why we actively participate in all meetings at various levels between the GCC countries and Central Asian nations.”

Azerbaijan has always supported the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

In response to a question about Gaza, Rafiyev stated, “Azerbaijan has always supported the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state. We recently opened a representative office in Ramallah to maintain direct communication and have provided humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza. As chair of the Non-Aligned Movement from 2019 to 2023, Azerbaijan consistently supported the rights of the Palestinian people and took significant steps to advocate for their just cause of self-determination.”

Process of communication and normalization with Armenia

“The three-decade conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended in 2020 with the liberation of most Azerbaijani territories,” Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister said, referring to the war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between his country and Armenian forces. “As a result of the anti-terrorism operation conducted in 2023, we have fully restored our sovereignty over these territories. Now, we have embarked on a process of communication and normalization with Armenia, which consists of three key tracks.”

“The first track is the peace agreement between our countries, which is nearly complete. Only two outstanding issues remain, and we are awaiting Armenia’s response to address them.”

He continued, “The second track involves the delimitation and demarcation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The third track focuses on reopening communication links between our countries, which have been closed for nearly 30 years. Once a peace agreement is reached and borders are clearly defined, restoring communication will become much easier. If all three tracks are successfully implemented, we will fully normalize relations with Armenia.”