On 12 November, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held talks in Dublin with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. The main topics of the meeting were the expansion of cooperation in the field of drones under the Drone Deal programme, the activities of Azerbaijani businesses in Ukraine, and additional support for energy and transport infrastructure ahead of winter.
- Zelenskyy met with Aliyev at the European Political Community summit in Dublin.
- Ukraine and Azerbaijan are working to increase orders under the Drone Deal.
- Kyiv has requested additional assistance for the energy sector and critical infrastructure.
- The parties instructed their teams to explore options for further support for Ukraine.
Ukraine and Azerbaijan are expanding their cooperation in the field of drones
The meeting with the President of Azerbaijan was the first on the agenda Vladimir Zelensky at the European Political Community summit, which is taking place on 12 November in the Irish capital.
According to the Ukrainian president, one of the priorities of the talks was the implementation of Drone Deal — international cooperation programmes in the field of unmanned technologies.
«First and foremost – the Drone Deal. Contracts have been signed, and we are working to scale up orders,» said Zelenskyy.
The parties therefore already have a contractual framework for cooperation and are discussing expanding the scope of this cooperation. The President did not specify the exact order volumes, the value of the contracts or the deadlines for their completion.
The leaders also discussed the activities of Azerbaijani companies in Ukraine. Zelenskyy thanked the businesses that are continuing to operate despite the Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy has asked Azerbaijan to help Ukraine ahead of winter
The presidents devoted considerable attention to the state of Ukraine’s energy and transport systems following the prolonged Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy thanked Azerbaijan for the assistance it had already provided and asked it to consider the possibility of further supplies of equipment and support for critical infrastructure.
«We would be grateful if Azerbaijan could now also find a way to support Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and logistics ahead of winter,» the president said.
Following the talks, the leaders of the two countries instructed their teams to explore options for further assistance. No specific decisions regarding the scale of this assistance have yet been announced.
Azerbaijan has previously provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including electrical equipment. This was also confirmed by the press office of the President of Azerbaijan following the meeting.
Aliyev and Zelensky discussed economic relations
According to the Office of the President of Azerbaijan, during the talks the parties also discussed the prospects for expanding trade and economic relations, private-sector cooperation and future reciprocal visits by delegations.
The experience of post-conflict reconstruction was discussed as a separate topic. The Ukrainian President noted that Kyiv is monitoring the reconstruction of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, and that Azerbaijan’s experience in this area could be useful for Ukraine.
The meeting took place as part of the ninth summit of the European Political Community, which focused on European security, economic competitiveness and energy cooperation.
