President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Tom Berendsen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on October 26.

Axar.az reports that the head of state fondly recalled his meeting with former Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Copenhagen last year, noting that they had exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that the Dutch foreign minister’s visit to Azerbaijan would be successful, describing it as a good opportunity to discuss cooperation in politics, diplomacy, the economy and investment.

Thanking the head of state for receiving him, Tom Berendsen expressed the Netherlands’ interest in developing cooperation and noted that there were good opportunities to expand bilateral ties.

The minister also expressed his gratitude for Azerbaijan’s assistance in evacuating Dutch citizens, including the Netherlands’ ambassador to Tehran and embassy staff, from the Middle East via Azerbaijan.

The Dutch foreign minister emphasized that the Netherlands highly appreciated President Ilham Aliyev’s personal role in establishing peace and stability in the South Caucasus, noting that this was of great importance not only for the region but also for Europe.

The sides also exchanged views on the prospects for bilateral relations.

They commended the successful operations of Dutch companies in various sectors in Azerbaijan and discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in transport, logistics, the Baku International Sea Trade Port, agriculture and other areas.

The meeting also addressed ways to further develop economic and trade relations between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands, including through the organization of mutual visits, particularly by business delegations.

It was emphasized that Azerbaijan attached particular importance to the development of its agricultural sector and was implementing large-scale state programmes in this field. In view of the Netherlands’ advanced expertise in agriculture, the sides noted that there were favourable opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation in this area.