Azerbaijan–Ukraine relations

After the dissolution of Soviet Union Azerbaijan and Ukraine gained their independence from the Soviet Union and started a close friendship[1] with establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. The relations of strategic cooperation, political, economical and cultural relations between two countries are at a very high level.[2] In 2001, the two countries founded the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM), along with Georgia and Moldova. Azerbaijan currently plays an important role in both organization and the foreign policy of Ukraine due to its strategic role in the region.[3] Azerbaijan also helped Ukraine to shelter Chernobyl sarcophagus.

Azerbaijani–Ukrainian relations

Azerbaijan
Ukraine

Ukraine is, after Turkey, one of the main military partners of Azerbaijan. Azeri officers are trained in Ukrainian military academies, and various technical assistance is supplied by Ukraine.[4] Ukraine supports Azerbaijan's position in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict against to Armenia.[5] After Black January events, some 10,000 people attended a rally in Lviv to protest Moscow's military intervention in Azerbaijan.[6] There are about 32.000 Ukrainians that live in Azerbaijan, and over 45,000 Azerbaijanis live in Ukraine.[7] The grave of Ukrainian Ataman Golovati still is protected by Azerbaijanis and there's also monument in Lankaran dedicated to Cossacks.[8] The two countries support each other in entering international organizations.[9] Diplomatic relations established in 1919 for the first time and Azerbaijan recognizes Holodomor events as a genocide.[10][11]

Political relations

Relations between two countries are very friendly.[12] Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Kiev. Ukraine has an embassy in Baku. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Eastern Partnership, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) as well as GUAM.

Heydar Aliyev, Leonid Kuchma and Vladimir Putin

Azerbaijani president Abulfaz Elchibey paid an official visit to Ukraine on November 12, 1992.[13]During that visit, he said that relations with Ukraine will become priority out of all of the former republics of the former Soviet Union.[14]

President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma paid an official visit to Azerbaijan on July 26–28, 1995. Together with Heydar Aliyev and Aliyev paid his official visit to Ukraine on March 24–25, 1997. During the meeting Heydar Aliyev was awarded with the highest order of Ukraine Yaroslav Mudry.[15] After the establishment of GUAM strategic relations started to develop rapidly. Heydar Aliyev visited Ukraine in 1999 in order to take part at the inauguration ceremony of the re-elected Leonid Kuchma. The Ukrainian President paid an official visit to Azerbaijan on March 16–17, 2000. As a result of the visit, Aliyev presented Leonid Kuchma the order of Istiglal. Strategic alliance between two countries are developing.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky paid his official visit to Azerbaijan on December 17-18, 2019. During the visit, Zelensky had a one-on-one meeting with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev after which they hold negotiations in an expanded format. Following the expanded meeting, the sides signed bilateral documents such as Protocol of Intent between Ganja and Odessa, an Agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between Guba and Truskavets, Agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan and the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine on the conditions of doing business. Ukrainian President also met with the Prime Minister Ali Asadov, took part in the Ukrainian-Azerbaijani Business Forum, visited the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Center of Baku Slavic University and met with representatives of Ukrainian community in Azerbaijan.[16][17][18][19]

Economic relations

In January – May 2008 trade turnover between the two countries was 191,1 mln. USD. The trade turnover between two countries reached to 1 billion 400 million dollars in 2010. Ukraine is one of the main import partners of Azerbaijan.[20] Main goods imported from Ukraine to Azerbaijan remains as mainly metallurgy products, machine building products, agro-industrial products, and chemical industry products. While main goods exported from Azerbaijan to Ukraine are generally Products of fuel energy industry, chemical industry products, and agro-industrial products.

Azerbaijan grants Ukraine exclusive conditions for oil supply.[1] The volume of trade between Ukraine and Azerbaijan is considerably higher among the CIS countries. According to the reports of Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the transactions between them amounted to $343.87 million during the first period of 2018, and $146.57 million was made by Azerbaijan side as a result of its exports.  The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Ukraine in January 2019 has exceeded $ 74 million.[21] In this transaction, Azerbaijan exported in the worth of $ 36.08 million to Ukraine in January and imported about $ 38.2 million worth product. In the post-Soviet space, Ukraine is considered as the second most important trade partner of Azerbaijan after the Russian Federation. The volume of trade started to shift upward since 2005 and amounted approximately $ 1.5 billion in 2011 (the highest point). During this period Azerbaijan gained $ 909 million, Ukraine retained $ 558 million by mutual trade partnership, respectively. Nevertheless, starting from 2012, the trade turnover between them, worsened and declined the below of the statistics of 2011. The situation only changed between 2016 and 2017 so that trade volume rose up to $800 million from $300. In 2018, the number of transactions between Azerbaijan and Ukraine amounted to about $ 829 million that was around $ 18 million compared to 2017. In that year, Azerbaijan import imported approximately $469 million worth products and while exported $358 million 738 thousand worth of products to Ukraine. So, Azerbaijani side had current account surpluses while Ukraine had current account deficit. Moreover, the direct investments from Ukraine to Azerbaijan amounted more than $25 million, and from Azerbaijan to Ukraine was around $200 million. As a result of improvements in economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, the first Trade House of Azerbaijan was opened in the capital of Ukraine and the similar projects are estimated to be implemented in the other regions of Ukraine. The Azerbaijan Trade House has been launched to deal with promote “Made in Azerbaijan” brand in the Ukrainian market, and also it is expected to promote the general exports of the products of Azerbaijan.[22][23]

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic-SOCAR is considered as one of the key players to increase transactions between Azerbaijan and Ukraine. So as a result of its investments in Ukraine, it has 9 petrol filling stations in Odessa and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine, and in capital Kiev and has further plan to establish more petrol filling stations in various regions of the country.

Additionally, in 2009, SOCAR purchased Naftonreyd oil base in that country which has the 25,250 m3 and an annual turnover of 200 thousand m3.[24]

Military cooperation

In 2006, Ukraine had sold 48 T-72AG to Azerbaijan. In 2009, Ukraine supplied to Azerbaijan, 29 BTR-70, 29 units of 122-millimeter self-propelled howitzers 2C1 Pink and 6 units of 152-millimeter self-propelled howitzers 2S3 Acacia a combat trainer MiG-29UB, 11 Mi-24.[25] In 2010, Ukraine has been sold to Azerbaijan a 71 BTR-70, 7 self-propelled artillery "Carnation" 2S1 122 mm, 1 Mi-24P, a managed anti-missile complex, and 3,000 rifles and pistols. Ukraine remains as one of the main military partners of Azerbaijan.

Cultural relations

Since 1998, Ukrainian language are taught in Baku Slavic University and Ukrainian sector opened afterwards. In 2001 Kiev Social and Political Science institute named after Heydar Aliyev was opened. Since 1978 a library named Samed Vurgun is active in Ukraine. At the same year, a short documentary called Azerbaijani days in Ukraine released and year after From the eyes of the friends documentary was shot which was about the Ukrainian culture days in Azerbaijan. Monument of Taras Shevchenko was opened in Azerbaijan in 2008.[26]

Embassies

The Embassy of Azerbaijan is located in Kiev, Ukraine. The Embassy of Ukraine is located in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Diplomacy
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See also

References
  1. Yanukovych: Ukraine grateful to Azerbaijan for assistance in difficult situations, Interfax-Ukraine (18 November 2013)
  2. "General look on bilaterial relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  3. Azərbaycan-Ukrayna əlaqələri
  4. Azerbaijan’s military aviation opportunities. Archived March 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Ukraine supports Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  6. The Ukrainian Resurgence by Bohdan Nahaylo, page 248
  7. Azerbaijan: A Quest for Identity by Charles van der Leeuw, Palgrave Macmillan, 2000, ISBN 978-0-312-21903-1 (page 19)
  8. "Kazaklardan ibarət sülhməramlı qüvvələr formalaşdırıla bilər". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  9. Azerbaijan and Ukraine to support each other when entering into international standardization organizations
  10. (Talmon 1998, p. 289)
  11. Podrobnosti events Archived December 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Today interview with Ukrainian political expert
  13. https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/32989
  14. https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/32835
  15. Heydar Aliyev biography
  16. "Azerbaijan, Ukraine reaffirm mutual support for territorial integrity - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  17. "President shared the secrets of success with Ukrainian students in Baku". Official website of the President of Ukraine. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  18. "Bilateral documents were signed in the presence of the Presidents of Ukraine and Azerbaijan". Official website of the President of Ukraine. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  19. "Volodymyr Zelenskyy: We really want Azerbaijan to invest in Ukraine". Official website of the President of Ukraine. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  20. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html
  21. "Trade turnover between Azerbaijan, Ukraine exceeds $74mln".
  22. "Azerbaijan Trade House launched in Ukraine".
  23. "Ukraine Foreign Direct Investment: Stocks: Azerbaijan".
  24. "SOCAR Energy Ukraine".
  25. "Ukraine announced the list of weapons and military equipment supplied to Azerbaijan in 2009". Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  26. Monument of Taras Shevchenko
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