During President Ilham Aliyev’s first official visit to Slovakia, he and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini delivered statements highlighting a decisive upgrade in bilateral relations and outlining new areas of strategic cooperation.
President Pellegrini emphasized that the historic nature of the visit reflects mutual political will to build a long-term strategic partnership. He noted the rapid growth in trade, Slovakia’s interest in diversifying energy supplies through Azerbaijani resources, and the intention to deepen cooperation across defense industry, advanced technologies, student exchange, tourism, and culture.
Slovakia welcomed the initialing of the Azerbaijan–Armenia peace treaty and acknowledged Azerbaijan’s stabilization efforts following the 2020–2023 period. Pellegrini underlined that Azerbaijan’s geographic position, economic scale, and energy capacities make it a key strategic partner for the region. He stressed that cooperation in the defense industry should focus not on arms sales but on joint production, technology transfer, and export to third markets. He also noted active interest in Slovak self-propelled artillery systems and ongoing reconstruction projects in Garabagh, including Slovak participation in a “smart village.”
President Aliyev welcomed the opportunity to open a new chapter in bilateral relations, noting that the 2023 Strategic Partnership Declaration has already accelerated cooperation across all sectors. He stated that Azerbaijan is able to supply Slovakia with any required volume of energy resources, citing the expansion of Azerbaijani gas exports to 14 countries, including eight EU members.
Aliyev described the defense industry partnership as an industrial and technological project, emphasizing that Azerbaijan does not intend to wage war and views the post-conflict period as one of development. He highlighted Slovakia’s independent foreign policy and expressed appreciation for Slovak participation in the fifth-anniversary Victory celebrations in Baku.
The Azerbaijani President presented Azerbaijan’s growing role as a key component of the East-West and Middle Corridor transport routes, noting significant investments into logistics, connectivity, and infrastructure. Additional cooperation potential was identified in ICT, data centers, and artificial intelligence, supported by Azerbaijan’s rising renewable energy capacity and favorable climate conditions for large-scale data infrastructure.
