Zou Lei, Chairman of China Datang, held talks with visiting Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan, on October 21. The two had friendly exchanges on boosting international energy cooperation.

Also present were Li Jianwei, Vice President of China Datang, and Azerbaijani Ambassador to China Bunyad Huseynov.

During the talks, Zou first welcomed Shahbazov and the delegation he led. Emphasizing that China and Azerbaijan have always had a solid relationship, Zou said that guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, the China-Azerbaijan relations have been upgraded to a strategic partnership this year, charting the course and setting the stage for deeper economic and trade ties between the two sides. 

Zou said, China Datang highly values its cooperation with Azerbaijan and sees the country as a key player in BRI, and it will actively promote cooperation and development of new energy projects in Azerbaijan. He called on the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy to support China Datang’s development in Azerbaijan as well as its participation in the 29th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 29). 

China Datang will further step up its efforts to expand its business in Azerbaijan, and use its expertise in energy supply, new energy development, technology application, and carbon asset management to support Azerbaijan's green and low-carbon transition and contribute to the country's social, economic and sustainable development, Zou said.

For Shahbazov’s part, he noted that Azerbaijan and China are good partners, with their leaders upgrading Azerbaijan-China to a strategic partnership in July this year. This move has opened up new opportunities for enhancing cooperation between the two countries.

Azerbaijan is a staunch supporter of the BRI, and the two nations closely collaborate in the energy and transportation sectors, the minister said, adding that as the primary energy supplier in the Eurasian region, Azerbaijan holds significant potential for developing renewable energy sources. 

The country is actively harnessing its abundant wind energy resources and fast-tracking the establishment of green energy corridors, with a focus on new energy sources. Azerbaijan is committed to promoting a green and low-carbon energy structure transformation, he said. 

He also hoped that China Datang will engage in practical cooperation with Azerbaijan in the development and construction of new energy projects, and innovations in power technology, and actively contribute to the construction of green energy corridors.

Prior to the talks, the Azerbaijani delegation led by Shahbazov visited the production dispatching center of China Datang, gaining insights into the company’s production and operations management, international business activities, and other relevant information.

Other executives from relevant enterprises and departments of China Datang as well as Azerbaijani Energy Ministry also attended the above activities.