President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Pope Francis.

Axar.az presents the text of the letter:

"Your Excellency,

On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Holy See.

We attach special importance to our relations with the Holy See. I am pleased to note that our relations, characterized by mutual respect, have undergone a great development over the past thirty years. The historic visits of Pope John Paul II in May 2002 and Your Holiness in October 2016 to Azerbaijan were important both in terms of our bilateral relations and the dialogue between civilizations. I also remember with fond memories my three official visits to the Vatican and our meetings with you in Baku and in the Vatican.