12:30

On May 2, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Konstantin Kosachev and the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Economy and Relations with Compatriots Leonid Kalashnikov.

Axar.az reports that Konstantin Kosachev conveyed the greetings of Valentina Matviyenko, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and Vyacheslav Volody, Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, to the head of state and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings and asked to convey his greetings to Valentina Matviyenko and Vyacheslav Volodin.

Congratulating the head of state on the organization of the VI World Intercultural Dialogue Forum at a high level, Konstantin Kosachov emphasized the great international interest in this event. The guest noted the importance of the profound speech of the President of Azerbaijan at the Forum and stated that the views of the head of state on the restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the activities of the Non-Aligned Movement, neo-colonialism and other topics are very relevant in modern conditions. Konstantin Kosachov emphasized that it is a joy that Azerbaijan occupies a very worthy place at the international level, and this, in turn, becomes one of the important factors in Azerbaijan-Russia bilateral relations. He noted that the recent visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Moscow was very successful. Konstantin Kosachov said that Azerbaijan has achieved great success in the economic, social and other fields and said that every time he comes to Baku, he witnesses the great development processes taking place in our capital.

The head of state expressed his satisfaction with the representation of Russia by a high-level delegation at the VI World Intercultural Dialogue Forum, which has become one of the important platforms in the field of international dialogue.

Referring to his recent visit to Moscow, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the visit was very effective and once again demonstrated the strategic nature of our alliance relations.

The head of state, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, specially emphasized the joint meeting with veterans and employees of the railway sector in Moscow on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Baikal-Amur Highway. At the meeting, despite the fact that there were some forces that were against this project even in the Soviet era, and despite numerous technical, bureaucratic and natural obstacles, the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev's exceptional services in the implementation of the Baikal-Amur Highway when he was working under the leadership of the USSR were noted with satisfaction.

President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan and Russia, as two neighboring countries, provide maximum mutual support, respect, and mutual cooperation in solving bilateral and multilateral issues. The President of Azerbaijan noted that Russia plays an important role in ensuring security not only in the region, but in a wider space. President Ilham Aliyev said that our bilateral relations are developing on a constantly rising line and assessed this as an important factor of regional development in the South Caucasus and a wider geography.

The head of state stated that during his 4-year leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement of Azerbaijan, as well as during the period when this institution is included in the "triad of the presidency", he took many important initiatives and emphasized that he made great efforts in relation to important issues, including neo-colonialism. President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan has taken measures related to this topic both in our country and outside our country, and said that he will continue his efforts in the direction of revealing the crimes committed by the neo-colonizers in the past and in the modern era, as well as their double standards against other countries and peoples.

At the meeting, satisfaction was expressed with the comprehensive development of cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries. Last year, in connection with the 100th anniversary of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, the importance of organizing the exhibition was noted in the administrative building of the Russian State Duma with the participation of Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin.

Recently, Azerbaijan and Russia in the field of tourism.