The UAE and Azerbaijan recently held their first consular consultation meeting to enhance their cooperation in consular areas.

The meeting, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi, was chaired by Faisal Lutfi, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs, and Emil Safarov, Head of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, Lutfi stressed the importance of cooperation between the two sides in consular affairs, which will help strengthen their bilateral ties, noting that the relations between the two countries have advanced in recent years.

He also lauded their efforts to provide distinguished consular services for their citizens, adding that some 10,000 Emirati nationals visited Azerbaijan in the first quarter of 2023.

Safarov commended the UAE’s prominent regional and international stature and highlighted its key overall role.

The two sides also discussed a wide range of mutual consular issues, as well as their monitoring and development plans.

The Emirati delegation presented an overview of the UAE’s e-attestation service, including a summary of a ministerial resolution on the attestation of commercial invoices and the Smart Mission project.

Under the framework of exchanging consular experiences, the two sides also talked about the “Return Document” system and the consular work of the country’s diplomatic missions abroad.

Lutfi conveyed the greetings and best wishes of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his appreciation for the deep-rooted consular relationship between the two countries. He also highlighted the UAE’s keenness to boost its ties with Azerbaijan, in line with the aspirations of the country’s leadership.

Safarov praised the progress of the bilateral relations between the two countries over the past years, especially in the consular field, stressing that his country aims to enhance its cooperation and exchange experiences with the UAE in this area, for the benefit of the citizens of the two countries and to strengthen their bilateral relations.

He also commended the digital services provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Representatives of the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant authorities in Azerbaijan participated in the meeting.