Azerbaijan.US
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has arrived in the United Arab Emirates on a working visit, where he was received in Abu Dhabi by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
During high-level talks, the two leaders reaffirmed that Azerbaijan-UAE relations are built on a foundation of strategic partnership. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the steady expansion of cooperation across political, economic, energy, renewable energy, cultural, humanitarian, and other fields, highlighting the importance of regular presidential contacts and mutual visits.
The discussions also touched on security cooperation, including the joint operational-tactical military exercise “Peace Shield – 2026”, held in Abu Dhabi. The exercise was described as an important contribution to improving operational interoperability between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the UAE, with both presidents underlining the value of continuing such cooperation.
As part of the visit, key agreements were signed in the presence of the two presidents. These included a deal on the sale of a portion of a non-controlling stake held by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Economy in the Southern Gas Corridor company to XRG, the investment arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. The agreement marks a new step in deepening energy cooperation between the two countries.
In addition, the defense ministries of Azerbaijan and the UAE signed a letter of intent on defense cooperation, signaling plans to further expand bilateral ties in the security sphere.
The leaders also discussed prospects for establishing sister-city relations between Baku and Abu Dhabi, viewing such an initiative as a way to strengthen people-to-people contacts and urban cooperation.
Both presidents expressed confidence that the agreements reached and documents signed during the visit will give fresh momentum to the Azerbaijan-UAE strategic partnership and contribute to its long-term development.
