Meeting with Azerbaijan Prime Minister Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko presented the Order of Friendship of Peoples to Azerbaijan Prime Minister Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh on 23 July.

Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh was awarded the Order of Friendship in recognition of his considerable personal contribution to the development and strengthening of trade, economic and humanitarian ties between Belarus and Azerbaijan. “Such awards usually have some political subtext. As for You, there are no political subtexts or advances here. You have done a lot for our relations. Perhaps no other citizen of Azerbaijan has done as much,” the Belarusian leader said addressing Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, he enjoys friendly relations with the leaders of Azerbaijan. “It is only with few other heads of state that I have such relations,” noted the President of Belarus. In his words, Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh has made a considerable contribution to achieving such level of mutual understanding between the two countries. “You have contributed a lot both to my relations with the presidents of Azerbaijan and to the relations between the nations and the states,” the Belarusian leader added.   

The Belarusian President expressed his conviction that the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan will appreciate the high award and will always be proud of it.

For his part, Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh said that he was genuinely moved by Belarus President’s attention to Azerbaijan.

“I would like to express my sincere whole-hearted gratitude for such a high assessment of my work. I consider the Order as an award for all those who have been working develop our all-round relations,” said Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh. “As long as my heart beats, I will do my best to promote the development of our relations regardless of the posts I hold,” he added.

Artur Tahir oglu Rasizadeh stressed that Azerbaijan is proud of the relations with Belarus. “The Azerbaijani people have always had a warm attitude towards Belarus. We will make every effort to ensure that the basis that we have established, that the friendly, brotherly relations between our countries and peoples should continue to develop,” he said.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the possibility of establishing new joint ventures to manufacture Belarusian equipment in Azerbaijan, maintenance centers and considered other promising areas of bilateral cooperation.