On September 25, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Adebayo Ogunlesi, Founding Partner, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a global infrastructure investment company operating under BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset management firms.

Axar.az reports that during the conversation, they recalled their previous meeting in Davos in January this year.

They highlighted the importance of the memorandum of intent on long-term cooperation signed in Davos between the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), BlackRock, and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

During the meeting, they hailed the development of investment cooperation between Azerbaijan and the company, and discussed the results achieved and prospects for expanding the partnership.

They emphasized that the partnership established between the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) and Global Infrastructure Partners already covers specific international investment projects. In this context, they noted that the Fund has jointly invested with the company in "Italo," Italy's high-speed rail operator, and London's Gatwick Airport.

The sides also exchanged views on investment opportunities in Azerbaijan’s infrastructure sector, including potential cooperation in digital and transport infrastructure.

During the conversation, the sides discussed the importance of the Second Azerbaijan International Investment Forum, organized under the patronage of President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, as well as the Azerbaijan Infrastructure Investment Dialogue, held within its framework and co-organized by the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) and BlackRock. They noted that companies managing US$30 trillion in assets participated in these events.

Global Infrastructure Partners has operated within BlackRock, the world's largest investment management firm, since 2024. BlackRock, which manages US$15.3 trillion in assets, is a global investment firm specializing in the energy, transport, digital infrastructure, water, and waste management sectors. Global Infrastructure Partners manages US$170 billion in assets. The company is also one of the key founders of the AI Infrastructure Partnership alongside BlackRock, Microsoft, and MGX.