Baku, April 2nd—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today with Tahir Budagov, Deputy Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and Head of the Central Office. 

Liu said, in July last year, President Xi Jinping and President Ilham Aliyev jointly announced the upgrade of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, which is an important milestone. China is willing to work with Azerbaijan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, firmly support each other on issues involving respective core interests and major concerns, promote the docking of the Belt and Road Initiative with Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development, and strive for new achievements in cooperation between the two countries in trade and investment, infrastructure, clean energy, digital economy, humanities and education. As both developing countries and members of the Global South, China and Azerbaijan have common interests and broad consensus in international and regional affairs. China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Azerbaijan in international and regional affairs and meet global challenges together. 

Liu said that the CPC attaches great importance to the traditional friendly relations with the New Azerbaijan Party. The two Parties have highly consistent goals in pursuing national independence and development, improving people's living standards, developing China-Azerbaijan strategic partnership, and promoting world development and stability. Last year, the two Parties signed a memorandum of exchange and cooperation, marking a new stage in the relationship between the two Parties at a higher level. The two Parties should take the lead in jointly implementing the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, deepen concept exchange and strategic communication, deepen cooperation in cadre training, party school construction, youth work, publicity and education, and strengthen coordination and cooperation in international multilateral activities for political parties such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Political Parties Forum, so as to continuously promote the development of China-Azerbaijan relations. 

Budagov said, the friendship between President Ilham Aliyev and President Xi Jinping is the foundation for the development of bilateral relations. Azerbaijan is one of the first countries to support and respond to the Belt and Road cooperation. It is willing to work with China to strengthen the alignment of development strategies and expand cooperation in areas such as information technology, artificial intelligence, and green energy, under the guidance of the important consensus of the two heads of state. Azerbaijan thanks China for its support for Azerbaijan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will continue to abide by the one-China principle and firmly support China in advancing the great cause of reunification. Azerbaijan fully supports all major international initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping. The relationship between the New Azerbaijan Party and the CPC is based on the traditional friendship and shows great potential. In particular, the two Parties signed a memorandum of exchange and cooperation last year, which laid a solid foundation for implementing the important consensus of the two heads of state and promoting the development of relations between the two Parties and the two countries. The CPC has traversed a glorious journey spanning more than a century, and has rich experience in governing. The New Azerbaijan Party is willing to work with China in accordance with the spirit of the memorandum of exchange between the two Parties to formulate a specific roadmap for cooperation between the two Parties, further deepen exchanges between youth, women, think tank, and other organizations, and experience exchanges in party building and state governance, and help the New Azerbaijan Party strengthen its governing capacity. 

The meeting was attended by key members of the council of the New Azerbaijan Party, heads of key departments of the Central Office of the Party, party organizations at local level, and youth organizations.