(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 3. A Joint Declaration
of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China on
the establishment of a strategic partnership was adopted as part of
the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana,
Trend reports
“JOINT DECLARATION of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the
People's Republic of China on the establishment of a strategic
partnership
The Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China
(hereinafter referred to as“the Parties”) agree that since the
establishment of diplomatic relations on April 2, 1992, bilateral
cooperation between the two countries has yielded fruitful results
in various spheres.
Given the tectonic and complex development of the international
and regional situation, the Parties agreed to expand cooperation in
the political, economic, and cultural spheres, strengthen
interaction in international affairs, jointly protect the common
interests of the two countries, as well as jointly promote the
cause of regional and global peace, stability and development.
1.0 The Parties establish a strategic partnership, proceed from
mutual respect, equality, trust, mutual support, mutual benefit and
cooperation as the fundamental principles of bilateral relations.
The Parties consider each other as priority and reliable partners,
and independently determine the policy of bilateral relations,
regardless of external factors.
1.1 The Parties reaffirm their commitment to mutual respect for
territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-aggression,
non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit,
and peaceful coexistence. Azerbaijan resolutely supports the“One
China” principle, recognizes that there is only one China in the
world, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the only
legitimate government representing the whole of China, and that
Taiwan is an integral part of China's territory, firmly opposes any
form of“Taiwan independence” and supports the peaceful development
of relations between the two shores of the Taiwan Strait, as well
as the efforts being made by the Chinese Government for the
reunification of China.
China resolutely supports the peace agenda proposed by
Azerbaijan and considers counterproductive geopolitical intrigues
aimed at maintaining confrontation.
1.2 The Parties emphasize that terrorism, separatism, and
extremism pose serious threats to the entire international
community and require joining efforts to prevent and combat these
challenges.
1.3 The Parties will continue to provide resolute support to one
another on the path of development chosen in line with their
national specificities and are ready to cooperate to achieve common
development and prosperity.
1.4 The Parties are ready to maintain close contacts and
coordination on the most important issues of national, as well as
regional and global security, strengthen trust, and prevent any
forces from using their state territory to carry out actions
against the other Party.
1.5 The Parties emphasize that exchanges and cooperation between
the political and public institutions of Azerbaijan and China
contribute to the development and further comprehensive deepening
of relations between the two countries. The Parties support the
strengthening of exchanges and cooperation between the ruling
political party of Azerbaijan and the Communist Party of China.
1.6 The Parties note the significant role of cooperation between
the legislative bodies of Azerbaijan and China in the expansion and
development of bilateral relations. In this context, the Parties
emphasize the activation of exchanges and cooperation between the
legislative bodies of the two countries in various fields and at
various levels, including within the framework of relevant
international and regional organizations.
1.7 The Parties believe that it is necessary to enable the
mechanisms of communication and exchange of views between the
Governments of the two countries and to strengthen the political
dialogue on the issues of development.
1.8 The Parties confirm their readiness to strengthen
cooperation and exchange experience in the legal field, based on
equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect.
1.9 The Parties refrain from any actions that, in the opinion of
one of the Parties, harm the strategic partnership and strategic
relations of the two states.
1.10 By mutual agreement, the Parties periodically hold
political consultations through the Ministries of Foreign Affairs
of the two countries.
2.0 The Parties highly appreciate the sustainable and dynamic
development of trade and economic relations between the two
countries and are ready to continue to elevate the role of the
mechanism of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic
Cooperation to further strengthen the interaction in the fields of
trade, investment and engineering and contracting projects, as well
as to focus on facilitating the implementation of projects in the
fields of transport and communications, green energy, recycling and
production, infrastructure, digital economy, agriculture and
others, to achieve high-quality development of Azerbaijani-Chinese
trade and economic cooperation.
2.1 Azerbaijan and China have strong economic complementarity
and an immense potential for developing cooperation in the field of
industrialization and investment. The Parties will make full use of
the working mechanism of cooperation on industrialization and
investment between Azerbaijan and China, increase contacts on
vision, planning and policy, facilitate the activities of companies
of Azerbaijan and China, actively promote cooperation in priority
areas such as energy, including oil and gas production and
refining, green energy and transport infrastructure, information
and telecommunications, digital economy, non-ferrous metals,
building materials, and others, and enrich the cooperation of the
two countries with real results for the benefit of the two
countries and their peoples in accordance with the principle of a
market economy.
2.2 The Parties express their readiness to further increase the
volume of bilateral trade, optimize the structure of goods, and
facilitate access of goods to markets. China welcomes Azerbaijan's
active participation in the China International Import Expo, the
China Import and Export Goods Fair, the China International
Services Trade Fair, and other major exhibitions. Azerbaijan
welcomes the participation of China's leading companies in the ADEX
International Military Exhibition and other major exhibitions and
forums held in the territory of Azerbaijan. China supports
Azerbaijan in holding thematic presentations and establishing
contacts on trade centers and national pavilions opened in China,
as well as Chinese electronic trading networks.
2.3 The Parties express their readiness to strengthen the
alignment of the development strategies of the two countries,
deepen practical cooperation in all spheres within the framework of
the“Belt and Road Initiative,” accelerate the process of signing
an Agreement on the development of international multimodal
transport between the Governments of Azerbaijan and China.
2.4 The Parties will support each other's efforts in addressing
issues of ensuring the safety and uninterrupted operation of
international transport corridors passing through their territories
and create favorable conditions for transit traffic within the
framework of national legislation and bilateral agreements.
2.5 The Parties aim to consistently develop the potential of
transit and transport interaction with use of intelligent transport
systems technologies, as well as to ensure the technical and
economic conditions for the continuous and full-scale operation of
international transport routes.
2.6 The Parties support the establishment of a working group on
investment cooperation within the framework of the
Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. The
Parties also support their companies in mutual investment and
business development in Azerbaijan and China, as well as their
mutual participation in the activities of free economic zones and
industrial parks of Azerbaijan and China as residents. China
welcomes the development of investment cooperation of Azerbaijan
with China in the spheres of oil and gas, and petrochemicals, as
well as in the sphere of green energy, electric power industry,
high technologies and innovations, artificial intelligence, and
space. The Parties express their readiness to create favorable
conditions and necessary amenities for the enterprises of the two
countries, and are ready to jointly ensure the safety of
cooperation projects and personnel of enterprises of the two
countries.
2.7 China expresses its readiness to actively participate in the
construction and use of the Trans-Caspian International Transport
Corridor (“Middle Corridor”), work more closely with Azerbaijan and
other countries along the route to jointly facilitate the
uninterrupted operation and accelerated development of the southern
corridor for China-Europe freight trains and in the opposite
direction, create favorable prerequisites for deepening regional
practical cooperation, jointly ensure the safety and stability of
production and supply chains.
2.8 The Chinese side welcomes the holding of the 29th session of
the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) in Azerbaijan, supports
Azerbaijan in fulfilling its role of chairmanship in contributing
to the achievement of positive results at the Conference. The
Parties express their readiness to cooperate in the fight against
climate change, including in the field of clean energy, to
encourage companies of the two countries to deepen cooperation in
the fields of“green” and low-carbon technologies, such as new
generation based on new energy sources, energy storage, cars
powered by new energy sources, electricity transmission, energy
conservation, emissions reduction, and others, to jointly
facilitate the creation of a global partnership for cooperation in
the fields of clean energy.
3.0 The Parties express their readiness to discuss the
improvement of the contractual and legal framework in the trade and
economic field, and actively explore the possibility of creating an
institutional mechanism for liberalizing and simplifying trade and
investment procedures. The Parties confirm their firm support for
the multilateral trading system under the auspices of the WTO. The
Chinese side supports Azerbaijan's active participation in the
development and cooperation of the international multilateral
trading system, as well as the actions taken by Azerbaijan within
its WTO accession process.
3.1 The Parties support the expansion of contacts between the
regions, as well as the cooperation in the fields of media and
information exchange.
3.2 The Parties express their readiness to actively facilitate
the progress of mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of
science and technology.
3.3 The Parties consider that cooperation in the field of
education is steadily developing. Within the framework of the
agreement on cooperation in the field of education and the
agreement on mutual recognition of documents on education and
academic degrees, the Parties carry out personnel and language
exchanges, as well as interaction through the higher education
establishments. The Parties will discuss the issue of joint
creation of an alliance of higher education institutions.
3.4 The Parties attach great importance to cooperation in the
field of language exchanges, encourage the teaching of Azerbaijani
and Chinese languages in educational institutions, and will develop
exchanges between instructors and the practice of training
specialists, as well as support the development of Confucius
Institutes.
3.5 The Parties agreed to increase the level of cooperation in
the cultural sphere, to hold cultural days of Azerbaijan and China
on a mutual basis, and to express their readiness to hold
consultations on the mutual establishment of cultural centers.
3.6 The Parties express their readiness to strengthen
cooperation in the field of tourism and promote the overall
development of tourism. China welcomes Azerbaijan's participation
in the annual China International Tourism Fair and other tourism
exhibitions, as well as the decision of Azerbaijan to unilaterally
apply a visa-free regime for a period of one year for Chinese
citizens to develop tourism, as well as the further expansion of
economic, humanitarian and cultural ties. The Parties will continue
to facilitate mutual travel of citizens.
3.7 The Parties express their readiness to deepen cooperation in
the fields of healthcare, sports and youth, as well as strengthen
cooperation in the fields of cinema, media and think tanks.
3.8 The Parties are ready to strengthen cooperation for
sustainable development.
3.9 The Parties express their readiness to strengthen exchanges
in order to ensure high-quality and full employment, to improve the
social security system and to train qualified personnel to improve
the well-being of the population.
4.0 The Parties interact on the pertinent international issues,
and deepen constructive cooperation, including at the bilateral
level, as well as within the framework of international
organizations and forums on the issues of mutual interest.
4.1 The Parties will jointly support the international system
under the auspices of the United Nations, and adhere to the
international order based on international law, and fundamental
norms of international relations founded on the purposes and
principles of the UN Charter. Azerbaijan and China oppose hegemony
and the policy of force. The Parties adhere to genuine
multilateralism, support the constructive role of the United
Nations in international affairs, and are ready to continue to
strengthen cooperation within the framework of the United Nations.
The Parties advocate for the promotion of the common values of
humanity – peace, development, equality, justice, democracy, and
freedom, as well as contribute to the creation of a community of a
common destiny of mankind and a new type of international
relations.
4.2 As developing countries, Azerbaijan and China are ready to
strengthen cooperation and jointly protect the common interests of
developing countries.
4.3 The Parties believe that the happy life of the people is the
greatest human right, and the cause of promoting human rights
should be oriented towards the people. The Parties proceed from the
fact that the protection of human rights should be based on the
unshakable principles of respect for the sovereignty of all
countries and oppose politicization and the introduction of double
standards on human rights issues. The Parties oppose interference
in the internal affairs of any state under the pretext of
protecting human rights, support the protection of human rights by
ensuring security, facilitating human rights through development,
promoting human rights through cooperation and dialogue, and will
jointly promote the development of global mechanisms in the field
of human rights in a more equal, fair, noble and tolerant
manner.
4.4 Azerbaijan supports the Global Development Initiative, the
Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative
proposed by China and expresses its readiness to actively
participate in cooperation within the framework of these
initiatives to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and jointly protect international and
regional security and stability. China supports Azerbaijan's
efforts in accordance with its Baku Process initiative and the
World Forums convened within its framework as a global platform to
promote intercultural dialogue.
4.5 China welcomes Azerbaijan's desire to strengthen cooperation
within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
and supports the enhancement of Azerbaijan's legal status in the
SCO. Azerbaijan expresses its desire to join the BRICS, and China
welcomes Azerbaijan's participation in BRICS cooperation.
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