India and Azerbaijan Strengthen Bilateral Ties After Years-Long Gap

Baku: India and Azerbaijan have taken major initiatives to improve bilateral relations. Senior officials of both countries met in Baku for the sixth round of External Affairs Ministry consultations. The meeting was attended by Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Siby George and Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elnur Mammadov. This is the first such dialogue since 2022, which has been held after deep differences over Azerbaijan-Pakistan and India-Armenia relations. In addition, relations between India and Azerbaijan were strained over Operation Sindur. What transpired at the India-Azerbaijan meeting was a comprehensive review of the current state of bilateral relations covering areas of mutual interest. The issues discussed included trade, technology, tourism, pharmaceuticals, energy, culture, people-to-people exchanges, and the fight against cross-border terrorism. After the meeting, Siby George agreed to meet the Foreign Policy Advisor of the President's Office in New Delhi on a mutually convenient date.