President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Mohammad Mustafa, Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, on July 16.

Axar.az reports that the head of state expressed confidence that Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa’s visit to Azerbaijan would contribute to further strengthening the fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Palestine.

President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Expressing his pleasure at meeting with the head of state, Mohammad Mustafa conveyed the greetings of Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, to President Ilham Aliyev.

The Azerbaijani President thanked him for the greetings and asked the Prime Minister to convey his own greetings to President Mahmoud Abbas. President Ilham Aliyev fondly recalled Mahmoud Abbas’s visits to Azerbaijan and their meetings on the sidelines of international events.

Noting the difficult situation currently facing Palestine, Mohammad Mustafa expressed hope that, with the support of friendly countries, Palestine would be able to overcome the current challenges. He thanked President Ilham Aliyev for Azerbaijan’s continued support, including the decision to build a secondary school in Palestine as part of the country’s humanitarian assistance.

During the meeting, the opening of Azerbaijan’s Representative Office in Ramallah, as well as Azerbaijan’s coverage of the operational expenses of the Palestinian Embassy in Baku, was described as a testament to the high level of bilateral relations.

The sides also recalled that Azerbaijan had allocated $5 million in financial assistance to Palestine following the Conference on the Establishment of the Islamic Financial Safety Net and the Donors’ Conference to Finance the Strategic Plan for the Development of the City of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, held in Azerbaijan in 2013. It was noted that Azerbaijan continues to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The meeting also highly appreciated the fact that 23 Palestinian students are currently studying in Azerbaijan under the Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant, bringing the total number of Palestinian students in the country to 37.

Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani President for this support.

The sides also discussed the export of selected Palestinian agricultural products to Azerbaijan under preferential terms and exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.