10 June 2026 15:30

On 10 June 2026, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov met with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi within the framework of his official visit to Japan.

It was emphasized that Japan was among the first countries to recognize the independence of our country, as well as that the first official visit of National Leader Heydar Aliyev to Japan in 1998 and the visit of Mr. President Ilham Aliyev in 2006 were important milestones in the development of Azerbaijan-Japan relations and gave strong impetus to the expansion of political and economic cooperation.

During the meeting, the current state and development prospects of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Japan, the expansion of political dialogue, as well as issues of cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, energy, transport, digital transformation, innovation, education, tourism, sports, combating climate change and other areas were discussed.

The Ministers emphasized that the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Japan will be celebrated in 2027, and noted with satisfaction that, over the past period, cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, trust and friendship has successfully developed in various areas. It was stated that this significant anniversary creates additional opportunities for further deepening bilateral relations.

At the meeting, opportunities for expanding economic cooperation were reviewed. The activities of the Azerbaijan-Japan Joint Economic Commission and the results of the 12th meeting of the Commission held in September 2025 were highly appreciated. The sides emphasized the importance of finalizing the Azerbaijan-Japan Investment Agreement as soon as possible.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov provided information about the initiative on the visa-free regime planned to be applied by Azerbaijan for citizens of Japan. The Ministers noted that this will make an additional contribution to the development of people-to-people contacts, tourism and business relations.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, speaking about Azerbaijan’s growing role as an international transport and logistics hub, noted the importance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route in terms of strengthening regional and global connectivity. The active participation of Silk Way in the Japanese market for more than 10 years was noted with satisfaction. At the same time, it was stated that our country has important infrastructure in the Caspian basin, 9 international airports, a trade port and the largest merchant fleet, as well as the Alat Free Economic Zone, and that there are broad opportunities for expanding cooperation between the two countries.

The sides emphasized the importance of long-term cooperation in the field of energy security and noted the important role played by Azerbaijan in ensuring global energy security. The existing successful examples of cooperation within the framework of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline were highly appreciated.

It was noted that student exchange programmes, the teaching of the Japanese language at two universities in our country, cultural and humanitarian events and international development projects contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. At the same time, cooperation in the field of sports and the holding of the World Sumo Championship in Baku in October of this year were noted with satisfaction.

During the meeting, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov provided the other side with detailed information about the current situation in the region in the post-conflict period, the restoration and reconstruction works carried out in the liberated territories, as well as the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process.

The sides also exchanged views on regional and international security issues, including the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, multilateral cooperation, climate action, sustainable development and issues of mutual engagement within the framework of international organizations.

The importance of respect for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, was emphasized.

At the meeting, other bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Ministers made statements at a press conference.

At the end of the visit, a joint press release between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs was published.