President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Minister of State for Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Lord Vernon Coaker.

Axar.az informs expressing his satisfaction with the meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, Lord Vernon Coaker first conveyed the greetings of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Keir Starmer to the head of state.

Noting the friendly and trust-based relations between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom, Lord Vernon Coaker stressed their interest in developing relations between the two countries at the level of strategic partnership.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked that his own greetings be conveyed to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. President Ilham Aliyev fondly recalled Keir Starmer's participation in COP29 and his meeting with him.

Saying that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom have a rich history, the head of state underscored that cooperation between the two countries began with the energy sector and later covered many areas. President Ilham Aliyev noted that there are ample opportunities for further expanding cooperation in trade, investment and other areas. Touching upon the opening of a new chapter in cooperation between the two countries in the field of defense industry, the President of Azerbaijan assessed this as a sign of mutual trust.

Lord Vernon Coaker congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the results achieved in Washington in August of this year regarding the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the advancement of the peace agenda.

Expressing gratitude for the congratulations, President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the historical significance of all this and the special role of U.S. President Donald Trump in this issue. The head of state noted that it was Azerbaijan that initiated the peace agenda, emphasizing that the country would continue its efforts to advance it.

During the conversation, the sides exchanged views on issues of mutual concern.