Jaishankar Meets Aliyev in Baku; Ties with Azerbaijan Expand

New Delhi, October 23: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Friday, in a meeting aimed at furthering bilateral cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

At a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal outlined the key outcomes of the visit. He said Jaishankar conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of India during the meeting with President Aliyev.

Jaiswal said Jaishankar followed up with an extensive discussion with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan. The talks were positive and covered ways to strengthen the relationship across different domains.

Both sides agreed to deepen political consultations and to increase exchanges of visits in several fields, including business. Jaiswal said the visit continues the process set in motion by the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Aliyev on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek.

The Azerbaijan engagement also addressed security concerns, terrorism and shared threats. India and Azerbaijan, according to Jaiswal, agreed that stronger cooperation and coordination are necessary to promote the peace, prosperity and security of their peoples.

In the same briefing, Jaiswal turned to India's border with China. He said maintaining peace and stability in border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral ties with Beijing.

He noted that the situation along the frontier has at times been affected when Chinese troops depart from established patrolling practices. To manage pending issues on the Line of Actual Control, both sides are continuing to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms, he said.

Additionally, India and China have agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of the LAC in suitable forums, aiming for better border management and fewer chances of miscalculation.