President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Minister of Energy of Romania Sebastian-Ioan Burduja.

During the meeting, the sides noted the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Romania and welcomed the expansion of cooperation across all areas.

The President of Azerbaijan underlined that bilateral relations are in the stage of active development and stressed the importance of reciprocal visits between heads of state and at other levels to enhance bilateral ties.

Touching upon the importance of the 8th meeting of the Joint Commission on economic-trade relations and scientific-technical cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of Romania in Baku in terms of defining the prospects for bilateral bonds, President Ilham Aliyev hailed the inclusion of energy and other pertinent issues in the meeting's agenda.

The head of state highlighted the major projects underway in Azerbaijan’s energy sector, particularly in green energy, and emphasized the significance of the 10th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and the 2nd Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting held in Baku last month.

Sebastian-Ioan Burduja congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his victory in the presidential election and on securing the hosting of COP29 in Azerbaijan. The Minister said he is deeply impressed by the works carried out under the leadership of the Azerbaijani leader as well as the beauty and development of Baku.

The President of Azerbaijan expressed gratitude for the congratulations and kind words.

They underscored significant advancements in the energy sector and shared opinions on natural gas exports from Azerbaijan and the export of green energy to Romania via the Black Sea. They acknowledged ongoing discussions surrounding LNG, green energy and gas supply projects, with Azerbaijan aiming for a structured entry into the Romanian energy market.

Economic and trade relations between the two countries were highlighted at the meeting, with an emphasis placed on a 30 percent year-on-year increase in trade turnover, amounting to 670 million US dollars. Cooperation concerning investments was also noted. They touched upon SOCAR's active presence in Romania and its substantial role in the country's fuel market.

The conversation also underlined the expansion of cooperation in agriculture, healthcare, and education sectors.