Prime Minister Edi Rama is on an official visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with whom he held a one-on-one meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baku.

Prime Minister Rama and the Azerbaijani President praised progress of the very good relations between the two countries and agreed on shared commitment to further deepen bilateral ties and cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Energy and tourism were specifically identified as the most potential sectors, where the milestones for consolidation of mutually beneficial cooperation have already been set. 

At the one-on-one meeting with the Azerbaijani President, PM Rama said: “Thank you Mr. President! It is a great pleasure to be here first of all following a broad and successful campaign to claim parts of your country that was going through a situation that had turned into something unbearable for so many years, that we have witnessed both in the capacity of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, and now in the capacity of a member of UN the Security Council. Albania has been, is and will be a full supporter of Azerbaijan, the truth and the historical right of Azerbaijan. In the meantime, last but not least, we congratulate your laudable and exemplary efforts for peace and lasting cooperation with your neighbour, Armenia. At the same time, we are both blessed to have a very strong stone between us, namely Turkey, and I am strongly convinced we can do a lot more, as you already noted, in areas with growth potential in our cooperation and of course, I look forward to learning and seeing the prospects and what our teams have achieved, both in the energy and tourism sectors. As s I have already told you, we are somehow right to be jealous of Montenegro, because you have made a massive investment there, not just in financial terms, but also in terms of the model and I hope you will do the same. In the meantime, with the COVID-19 situation now improved, I look forward to seeing you deliver on your promise and visit Albania soon. While I was waiting for you to come, I thought, “Why shouldn’t I pay a visit to Azerbaijan?” As the saying has it: “If the Mountain won’t go to Mohammed, then Mohammed must come to the Mountain.”

Thank you very much Mr. President also for this warm reception and hospitality we felt as soon as we landed in your wonderful capital and we look forward to return the debt as soon as you visit our country. Thank you!”