External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Baku to meet President Ilham Aliyev, aiming to strengthen India-Azerbaijan bilateral ties and foster greater cooperation between the two nations through ongoing diplomatic engagements.

High-Level Diplomatic Engagement in Baku

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday called on Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in Baku and discussed strengthening bilateral relations between India and Azerbaijan, as New Delhi and Baku continue diplomatic engagement to expand cooperation. In a post on X, Jaishankar said he conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Aliyev during the meeting. “Pleased to call on @presidentaz Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in Baku this morning. Conveyed the greetings of @rashtrapatibhvn and PM Modi. Discussed strengthening the relationship between our two countries. Appreciate his positive sentiments for this shared endeavour,” Jaishankar said.

Context of the Visit and Ongoing Relations

The meeting comes during Jaishankar's official visit to Azerbaijan on October 23. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had announced the visit on Thursday, stating that the External Affairs Minister would hold talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart to review bilateral relations. The visit follows a series of recent diplomatic engagements between the two countries aimed at strengthening their partnership.

Recent Diplomatic Milestones

On October 16, India's Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Abhay Kumar, presented his credentials to President Aliyev. During the meeting, Kumar conveyed India's commitment to strengthening and expanding bilateral relations and promoting closer cooperation between the two countries. According to the Indian Embassy in Azerbaijan, the discussions highlighted the longstanding historical and cultural connections between India and Azerbaijan and explored prospects for expanding cooperation across areas of mutual interest.

Earlier this month, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh visited Azerbaijan to attend the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held in Baku. Addressing the summit on October 15, Singh highlighted India's philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family), calling for peace, cooperation and friendship. He also urged member states to unite against cross-border terrorism. On September 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Aliyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (ANI)

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