President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received the credentials of Julien de Fraipont, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Belgium.
The ambassador presented his credentials to the head of state.
President Ilham Aliyev had a conversation with the ambassador.
The head of state expressed hope for the development of bilateral relations and wished the ambassador success in his endeavors.
Expressing his honor at serving as an ambassador to Azerbaijan, Julien de Fraipont said that he would spare no effort to develop bilateral relations in various areas, including the economic and political fields, during his tenure.
In conveying his congratulations on Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29, the ambassador described this event as a global call to address climate change.
He also stated that Belgium would be highly represented at this event. The ambassador emphasized that COP29 would provide an opportunity for Belgian companies operating in the fields of energy transition and climate change to showcase their capabilities and achievements in the green energy sector.
The diplomat highlighted the importance of regional stability for Belgium and expressed appreciation for Azerbaijan's humanitarian aid to Ukraine. He also expressed Belgium's interest in regional stability regarding Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. The ambassador noted the recent progress in the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and emphasized Belgium's encouragement of the steps taken in this direction. He reiterated Belgium's continued support for Azerbaijan and for the activities of ANAMA in addressing the challenges posed by landmines.
As one of the founding members of the European Union, Julien de Fraipont expressed Belgium's interest in cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union in the fields of energy transition, climate change, the economy, and trade.
The head of state acknowledged the potential for further development of bilateral relations and stressed the benefits of meetings between the foreign ministers of both countries to discuss cooperation agendas.
President Ilham Aliyev pointed out that preparations for COP29 are now in the final stages. Noting that there Azerbaijan had less than a year to prepare for this major event, the head of state emphasized that the pre-COP event has already demonstrated the successful implementation of these efforts. President Ilham Aliyev stated that during Azerbaijan's presidency of COP in the coming year, the country is determined to play a bridging role between different regions of the world.
The head of state also noted that the transition to green energy is a key priority on the broad agenda. "Considering that part of the planned projects have already been implemented, the share of renewables in the energy sector will significantly increase in the coming years, and we are ready to cooperate with Belgian companies in this area," President Ilham Aliyev underscored.
Touching upon Azerbaijan's relations with the European Union, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Brussels has been a venue for successful negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, supported by Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, and that significant progress has indeed been made in these discussions. "However, unfortunately, the Armenian side chose not to continue the process known as the Brussels process. Nonetheless, it was a positive process, with good results and valuable experience."
President Ilham Aliyev noted that, in the current situation, more attention is being focused on the bilateral level. The head of state emphasized that all provisions of the peace treaty hold equal value and cannot be separated from one another. President Ilham Aliyev stated that, in this regard, he considers the Armenian government's unusual proposal to "sign what has been agreed upon so far and leave the unagreed provisions for the next stages" completely unrealistic, emphasizing that he is not aware of any precedent for such an approach.
The head of state noted that during the occupation of Azerbaijan's territories, the so-called "Madrid process and principles" were in place, with a key provision being that nothing would be agreed upon until all matters were resolved. This was the position held by the then-OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and it remains Azerbaijan's stance. Unfortunately, some former Minsk Group members have changed their positions and now support Armenia's unrealistic proposals. President Ilham Aliyev pointed out that Armenia often puts forward these proposals to portray a desire for peace, even though they are aware that these suggestions are unacceptable. Nevertheless, the negotiation process continues. The President recalled that from 1992 to 2020, during the 28 years of occupation, no progress was made. Now, after two years of talks, patience and realism are required to achieve lasting peace in the South Caucasus.
The head of state also noted that the European Union should preserve neutrality in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, which has always been the case, adding that the EU had never been active during the occupation period. The President pointed out that back then, numerous approaches to the EU and other European institutions were met with the response that the Minsk Group was responsible and that the EU had no involvement. "However, the EU seems to be actively involved now. Unfortunately, we see that some figures in Brussels, at EU headquarters, have taken sides. This is counterproductive. It only creates mistrust and isolates the EU from the normalization process. My recommendation, if I may offer this recommendation for the sake of continued cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, would be to avoid the footsteps of France and not to find themselves under France's influence, because France's policy has been absolutely destructive and remains absolutely destructive with respect to the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process."
“And the last point regarding the EU-Azerbaijan relationship, which has increased certain mistrust, was the way the so-called “European Observation Mission” on our border was prolonged without any agreement or even consulting with Azerbaijan. Why was it necessary?! Azerbaijan had agreed in October 2022 in Prague that the mission was supposed to stay for a couple of months with a limited number of retired military officers. However, when the mission was prolonged, they did not consult with us,” the Azerbaijani leader noted, adding that discussions are ongoing for further extension.
The head of state went on to say that the conduct of the members of this mission, referred to as “binocular diplomacy,” was absolutely unacceptable and went beyond any standards of normal political culture. Azerbaijan will continue to raise these issues in its communications with the EU.
Belgium’s ambassador thanked the President for this information and expressed his commitment to developing relations, emphasizing the potential for expanding cooperation in various areas between the two countries.
The Azerbaijani leader highlighted that the EU-Azerbaijan agenda is quite broad, including energy, transportation, green energy, and trade. He pointed out that the EU is Azerbaijan’s main trading partner, and it would be very regrettable if there were a setback in EU-Azerbaijan cooperation regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan track. The President expressed his hope that bilateral relations with the EU will continue to develop independently of the Armenia-Azerbaijan agenda.
