On April 18, 2023, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu met with Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Executive Director of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Anar Alakbarov.

Ma Zhaoxu said that President Xi Jinping and President Ilham Aliyev held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Samarkand Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization last year, pointing a clear direction for the development of China-Azerbaijan relations in the new era. China is ready to work with Azerbaijan to follow through on the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, and constantly strive for new outcomes of the development of China-Azerbaijan relations.

Anar Alakbarov said that Azerbaijan attaches importance to developing relations with China, and is ready to strengthen exchanges with China at all levels, implement major initiatives including promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and take the Azerbaijan-China friendly cooperative partnership to a new level. Heydar Aliyev Foundation is ready to continue to play a positive role in this regard.