Reception on Occasion of 25th Anniversary of Azerbaijan`s Independence Recognition by Great Britain

On Wednesday evening at the residence of the British Ambassador in Baku there was a reception on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the recognition of the independence of Azerbaijan by the United Kingdom.

As noted by the British Ambassador Carol Crofts, over the past quarter of a century, the bilateral relations covered all spheres of life.

In reaffirmation of London's intention to develop and expand cooperation with Azerbaijan, a representative mission of UK business circles led by the trade envoy of the Prime Minister, Baroness Emma Nicholson is visiting Baku.

The bilateral relations are developing dynamically in the spirit of friendship and cooperation, the Ambassador said.

In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev said official Baku appreciates the fact that 25 years ago the UK was among the first to recognize the independence of the young state.

This step was followed by the establishment of diplomatic relations and development of cooperation.

First of all, cooperation began to develop in the oil and gas sector and British companies arrived in Azerbaijan. At present, Azerbaijan is implementing reforms to diversify the economy, and new opportunities open to enhance the cooperation.

Mammadguliyev said he hoped that future cooperation will develop even stronger and bring benefits to both peoples.

Baroness Nicholson reminded that the UK was the fifth country to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan. She noted she was appointed a trade envoy to Azerbaijan still by the previous Prime Minister David Cameron. The new head of government Theresa May also considers it important to develop cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Baroness expressed her satisfaction with the outcome of her meetings in Baku with President Ilham Aliyev and other officials. "I am honored to participate in the strengthening of the bilateral relations. The three days were very positive and fruitful, and I had a lot of meetings," stressed Baroness Nicholson.

Britain recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on December 26, 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on March 11, 1992. In September 1993, the United Kingdom opened an embassy in Baku. The diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan in London began to work in January 1994.

United Kingdom is the largest investor in Azerbaijan. Over the past quarter of a century investment by British companies amounted to 25 billion dollars.

In 2015, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Great Britain amounted to almost 564 million dollars, of which 553 million dollars provided for the import of British goods.   -06C--