Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on Friday expressed confidence that relations with India were moving towards “higher levels” following a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Baku, highlighting opportunities for cooperation across several sectors.
Bayramov described the discussions as valuable, positive and fruitful, covering bilateral, regional and global issues.
He said Jaishankar’s visit continued the engagement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek last month.
Bilateral trade stood at around $600 million this year, Bayramov said, adding that the figure did not reflect the full potential of the relationship.
He noted that India’s ONGC had increased its participating interest in a major oil and gas project in Azerbaijan, where more than 1,000 Indian companies operate.
Energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and transport corridors connecting east-west and north-south routes were identified as promising areas for cooperation.
People-to-people links are also growing, with two direct flights between Baku and Delhi, around 500 Indian students joining Azerbaijani universities this year and more than 30 Indian films shot in Azerbaijan in recent years.
The ministers also discussed Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, tensions in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Earlier, Jaishankar met President Aliyev, conveyed greetings from President Droupadi Murmu and Modi, and discussed strengthening bilateral ties.
