Yuriy Gusev, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan

At the opening ceremony for the III Shusha Global Media Forum on July 20, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, responding to a question from Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gordon, advised the Ukrainians "never put up with the occupation." He also said Azerbaijan is preparing documents to file international lawsuits against Russia over Aktau plane crash in December 2024.

Azerbaijan sent its first humanitarian aid package to Ukraine in February 2022. Ever since then Baku has been engaged in humanitarian demining projects for several Ukrainian regions. Additionally, it assisted in the recovery and restoration of energy grids damaged in the aftermath of Russian attacks, and provided rehabilitation treatment to Ukrainian children.

Ukrinform conversed with Yuriy Gusev, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, about the progression of Ukrainian-Azerbaijani partnership, especially in the light of the recently cooling relations between Moscow and Baku, as well as about the latest achievements and plans for the future.

ENERGY COOPERATION BETWEEN UKRAINE AND AZERBAIJAN IS GOING TO BOOST EUROPE’S ENERGY SECURITY

- Mr. Ambassador, Azerbaijan is pursuing a multi-vector policy, balancing between Turkey, China, and the West. How is the Embassy building its work towards strengthening and enhancing the “Ukrainian vector” in Baku’s foreign policy?

- Ukraine and Azerbaijan have been strategic partners for many years now. And this partnership is deeply rooted historically; it is based on the friendship between our peoples and mutual support for territorial integrity and sovereignty.

This is where the foundation for our bilateral relations and our partnership is laid. We are extremely grateful to Azerbaijan for its support for Ukraine, especially during the full-scale invasion.

The Republic of Azerbaijan was among the first to provide its backing to Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian all-out invasion. The first Azerbaijani airplanes carrying humanitarian aid for Ukraine landed in Poland in late February - early spring 2022 to bring the aid to those in need.

Azerbaijan continues providing significant amounts of aid, most particularly energy equipment needed to restore our energy grid damaged by barrages of Russian drones and missiles.

Our countries had experience of cooperation and diplomatic relations more than 100 years back during the times of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. At that time, Azerbaijan became the first among Muslim countries to grant women’s suffrage, and we enjoyed mutual support even back then.

In modern history, Kyiv and Baku have more than 33 years of diplomatic relations. Diplomatic relations between our countries were established on February 6, 1992, based on true friendship between the peoples of our countries.

We maintain cooperation in a multiplicity of areas and fields, based on these historically rooted ties. It encompasses trade and economy, the energy sector, the sector of culture, as well as cooperation in the field of education, and, very importantly, mutual support for each other in the international arena.

- In the context of energy cooperation, President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of this year’s edition of the World Economic Forum in Davos to discuss gas transportation issues. How is Ukraine's participation in the transportation of energy resources from Azerbaijan being implemented in practice?

- President Volodymyr Zelensky had a very productive meeting and conversation with his Azerbaijani counterpart, President Ilham Aliyev, on February 22 in Switzerland. As a follow-up to that conversation, and in pursuance of the agreements reached by the two heads of state, a meeting of the Ukrainian-Azerbaijani Intergovernmental Commission was held in Baku on July 12.

Under the chairmanship of the Ministers of Energy of both countries, the issue of cooperation in the energy sector was discussed. We once again expressed our deep appreciation to Azerbaijan for its provision of energy equipment to our country.

Currently, opportunities for expanding and deepening cooperation in the oil and gas industry are being explored. It is obvious that Azerbaijan, who produces gas and oil and is expanding its presence in the European energy market, and Ukraine, who has abandoned fuel exports from Russia, are keen on bringing forward cooperation in this area.

Azerbaijan maintains a strategic partnership with a number of European Union countries, and our cooperation is going to bolster Europe's energy security, because it will help European countries diversify their sources of energy imports, in particular natural gas.

- Are there any practical agreements in place relating to Ukraine’s part in this energy transportation network?

- The July 12 Ukraine-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission meeting ended up with the signing of a protocol and a very detailed roadmap - a plan of measures to be taken by relevant government ministries and agencies in both countries, aimed at accomplishing the objectives identified by the Commission meeting.

LANDS IN UKRAINE AND AZERBAIJAN ARE CONTAMINATED WITH SAME-TYPE LANDMINES

- In August 2024, Azerbaijan’s state-run oil company SOCAR and Russia’s Gazprom signed an agreement on expanding strategic partnership. In light of Azerbaijan’s decisive distancing from Russia, should we expect a review or termination of this energy cooperation between the two countries?

- You know, Azerbaijani colleagues are denying having signed any documents on expanding partnership with Gazprom last year. Here, we trust our Azerbaijani colleagues, and now we are seeing the level of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, including from public comments in the media.

Of course, I can say with certainty that the Kremlin is dissatisfied above all else with the independent foreign policy being pursued by Ilham Aliyev. We understand this, because Russia's neo-imperial ambitions are well known to us, and we are now defending our independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty with weapons in our hands. Therefore, the measures that we have planned following the Intergovernmental Commission meeting will contribute to the deepening of our partnership and the expansion of cooperation in various sectors and industries, between various government ministries and agencies of our countries.

I would like to add separately that we are grateful to Azerbaijan for providing a Revival-P demining machine, which was manufactured in Azerbaijan and is currently engaged in demining some Ukrainian regions, and, according to relevant experts, it works effectively. For repair and maintenance works, Azerbaijani partners transferred earlier this year replacement parts for this machine. As regards humanitarian demining, a very important sector, this, unfortunately, remains a big problem that is common to our two countries, we have specific plans to deepen cooperation.

- Indeed, Azerbaijan's mine action experience cannot be overemphasized. From 2022 to 2024, 134,000 hectares of Azerbaijani land were cleared of landmines and more than 67,000 landmines were neutralized. How is humanitarian demining cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine developing?

- According to the information available to me, the Azerbaijani-made demining machine Revival-P operates in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, performing mine action operations quite effectively. Right now, we are actively working to ensure that Ukraine’s State Service for Emergencies opens a new chapter in humanitarian demining cooperation with the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA). This cooperation will encompass, among other things, joint training events, experience sharing, and the exchange of relevant skills and knowledge. Our professionals and experts are probably the most experienced in mine action worldwide, unfortunately.

But the experience that the Azerbaijanis have is invaluable to us, because we have to state that the types and manufacturers of landmines that are on the territory of Azerbaijan and on our land are mostly identical. After all, we are talking about Soviet and Russian-made anti-personnel and anti-tank mines that still litter our territories.

AZERBAIJAN'S INDEPENDENT POLICY IS ANNOYING TO MANY IN MOSCOW

- How is the deterioration of relations with the Kremlin following the plane crash and the brutality of recent Russian police operation against Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg currently shaping public opinion in Azerbaijan regarding further relations between Moscow and Baku?

- Azerbaijani society is very supportive of Ukraine. And this was evident in those numerous rallies in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, where people in Baku took to the streets outside the Ukrainian embassy in a rally of support for the Ukrainian fight for their land, their independence, their sovereignty.

This is noticeable in simple everyday communication with Azerbaijanis. When you say that you are from Ukraine, you always receive a lot of words of support. When driving to official meetings in the Ambassador's vehicle carrying a Ukrainian flag, I hear people at intersections in central Baku shouting "Glory to Ukraine".

We also feel this level of support in bilateral interstate communication, between various government ministries, departments, interparliamentary friendship groups and officials. This support lays an important foundation for deepening our bilateral relations. Because Azerbaijanis realize that we are fighting for our freedom and independence.

At an international media forum a few days ago, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, answering a question from a well-known Ukrainian journalist, replied that Ukraine must fight and never agree to occupation, which we all, the Ukrainian people, are doing, demonstrating to the whole world our indomitability and strength.

- According to unofficial information, about five hundred ethnic Azerbaijanis have been defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2022. As the Russian-Azerbaijani confrontation is escalating, the Kremlin’s propaganda targeting the domestic audience began shaping an image of Azerbaijan as an enemy. And the fact that Azerbaijani volunteers have been fighting against the Russian invaders since the beginning of the full-scale invasion is interpreted as a fresh “official decision by President Aliyev” to send “militants” to Ukraine to avenge the murders of compatriots in Yekaterinburg. How is this propaganda influencing public opinion in Azerbaijan with respect to the volunteers who are conscientiously defending Ukraine?

- In central Baku there is a place sacred to every Azerbaijani. This is the Alley of Heroes, “Alley of Martyrs”, the burial place of the people who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan on the black tragic day of January 20, 1990, when they took to the streets of Baku and fell victims to Soviet shootings.

Ukrainian national Viktor Seryogin, a helicopter pilot from Kharkiv who died while helping evacuate women and children during the first Karabakh war, is buried in one of the sections of this Alley. He was not the only one who helped Azerbaijanis in extremely hard days of their history. Now there are Azerbaijanis who are helping us today to defend the territorial integrity and independence of our country.

To our great sorrow, there are those who have lost their lives. Their portraits are featured on the Wall of Remembrance outside the Ukrainian Embassy building in Baku. We always honor their memory during the solemn Ukrainian state holidays, realizing that this is the highest price they paid for the right of all of us to be free, and Ukraine to be independent.

There is no point in commenting on Russian propagandists who are now hysterically attempting to find some absolutely absurd accusations against Azerbaijanis against the background of those criminal actions committed by the Russian authorities, first against an Azerbaijani civilian airliner, then against ethnic Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg.

It is my belief that Azerbaijan's independent policy is hated in Moscow, and Azerbaijan has already become a regional leader, a successful country that has restored its territorial integrity, has many strategic partners, including among European countries, and pursues a policy based on their own national interests, and it would be no exaggeration to say that this is annoying to many in Moscow.

- Will Russia dare to take more severe revenge on Azerbaijan for its geopolitical independence, in the form of terrorist attacks or inciting internal destabilization by other methods, or even resorting to violating its territorial integrity?

- It is difficult to comment on what the Russian Federation may dare to do. But I am convinced that the national security system, the armed forces and the defense forces in Azerbaijan are extremely powerful and have already proven their effectiveness.

That being said, I would discourage anyone in Moscow or other cities from even thinking about taking any measures hostile to the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Baku, due to its strategic partnership with a number of European countries, is a significant player in energy security, and has a strategic geographical location. And President Ilham Aliyev is pursuing a truly independent policy based on the national interests of the Azerbaijani people and the Azerbaijani state.

In fact, Azerbaijan is a very safe country to live in in terms of security and many other aspects. The country is rated among the best in terms of low crime rates, which is acknowledged by other countries and international partners.

This is felt by those coming to Baku for various international events, forums and symposiums that are regularly held in Baku with the participation of highest-ranking officials from different countries.

AZERBAIJAN IS AMONG THE COUNTRIES PARTNERING IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF UKRAINE

- Members of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Ukraine took a major part in the reconstruction of Irpin outside Kyiv. At one time, the Ukrainian government called on Western partners to join in reconstruction efforts of not only individual facilities, but also to take under their care entire villages and cities, or even regions. Which of the major reconstruction projects in Ukraine are Azerbaijani partners currently involved in?

-  A draft agreement on the construction of four public facility projects in the town of Irpin with funds to be provided by the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan is currently under consideration between Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Irpin is a town with traditional connections to Azerbaijan, where there is a monument in honor of academician Zarifa Aliyeva and a lyceum named after her which provides Azerbaijani language classes, and which is home to numerous Azerbaijani diaspora. After the town had been liberated from Russian occupation, a hospital ruined by Russin attacks has been restored back to operation and modernized with the help of the Republic of Azerbaijan and SOCAR in particular.

The process to finalize the details for the four public facility projects is currently nearing completion before final project approval is granted. The project includes a sports school and a school of arts among other facilities. An adornment of Irpin, these will facilitate the local community in developing the creative and sports abilities of the younger generation.

The scope of the program for Ukrainian children’s rehabilitation treatment and recreation has been expanded. This year, children of the Heroes of Ukraine currently in Russian captivity, children of our fallen soldiers, and children of the Heroes who are defending our Motherland in the ranks of the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ukraine underwent rehabilitation treatment in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Since 2022, over three hundred Ukrainian children have received rehabilitation treatment in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and we are expecting two 30-children groups more will follow soon. Not only this support is an important element to cooperation, but it is expanding, uniting people closer. We are convinced that the children who have visited Azerbaijan will retain for a lifetime not only the memories, but also the love for the hospitality and support they received from the Azerbaijani people, which is manifested even at the everyday level.

Regarding investments, Azerbaijani companies are steadily forging their presence in the Ukrainian market.

Particularly in 2024, Azerbaijani investors acquired the United Mining and Metallurgical Company, which was sold through a privatization auction.

Bilateral trade is on the rise, and Azerbaijani companies’ investments in the Ukrainian economy are growing.

Azerbaijan is a regular and major participant in international Ukraine recovery conferences, including this year in Rome. Over the past year, we, joined with the Azerbaijan Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Businesses (KOBIA), have organized and held a series of business forums, both at the level of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine and other Ukrainian business associations. The experience of such events reveals a high interest in cooperation with Ukrainian partners among Azerbaijani entrepreneurs and businessmen.

We have to expand this cooperation, given that we had more than a billion-dollar worth of bilateral trade with the Republic of Azerbaijan before the full-fledged invasion in 2021, but this had dropped to half of that by late last year, and we must use this potential to the benefit of our economies.

Improving logistics is another essential element to our cooperation. In this context, with the support and leadership of [Ukraine’s state railway operator] Ukrzaliznytsia, the first ferry service from Ukraine to the South Caucasus was launched earlier this year to enable Ukrainian freights to be shipped to the Republic of Azerbaijan market and Azerbaijani freights to the Ukrainian market. This is essential for expanding the capacity of the Middle Corridor -- an international trade route that connects China to European Union markets, passing through the countries of Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Ukraine and serving as a bridge to the European Union countries.

The growth and expansion of the Middle Corridor’s capacity is also highly relevant in that it brings Kyiv and Baku closer together. Azerbaijan, located in between Russia and Iran, holds a strategic geopolitical location. That being said, the expansion of the Middle Corridor’s capacity along with the development of the GUAM Transport Corridor were discussed at the most recent Intergovernmental Commission meeting among other strategic partnership issues, encompassing specific and practical projects of mutual benefit to both countries.

- In the context of the latest Ukraine Recovery Conference URC2025, held in Rome this July, did Azerbaijan propose any new projects for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction?

- It is the fact that, at the conference, the Republic of Azerbaijan once again emphasized being ready and willing to implement community service projects for Irpin, and, very importantly, highlighted its readiness to continue providing rehabilitation and recovery treatment for Ukrainian children.

Humanitarian demining is another essential element to bilateral cooperation between Ukraine’s State Service for Emergencies and ANAMA.

Trade and economic cooperation and investment issues are being discussed at the business level. Over the past year, we have seen upward dynamics in bilateral trade and in investment from Azerbaijan, and we are making every effort to ensure that trend maintains into the coming years.

In particular, while meeting with various business representatives from the Republic of Azerbaijan, we are signaled that Azerbaijani businesses are ready to assist in infrastructure projects and other Ukraine recovery and development initiatives. Azerbaijani businesses are mulling this right now, and many are saying that post-war reconstruction is going to open up incredible opportunities for cooperation expansion.

As stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky, only those countries who are supporting Ukraine now will be allowed to participate in Ukraine recovery programs. And Azerbaijan has been demonstrating this support since the first days of the full-scale invasion.

- In February, Azerbaijan committed $1 million from its contingency fund to procure electrical equipment as part of its humanitarian aid package for Ukraine. What other forms of aid does Baku provide? And to what degree is the Azerbaijani private sector involved in aid provision for Ukraine?

- You are right mentioning that, in pursuance of a decision by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a new batch of power equipment was provided in early this year to help Ukraine, I emphasize this, recover its energy grid. We are expecting that this aid will keep on flowing, because we require power equipment produced in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

As for the aid provided by privately-run companies and organizations, it has been ongoing since the first days of the full-scale invasion.

I will give just one example. A group of children from the Sumy region have recently visited Baku. Private individuals, entrepreneurs and Azerbaijani businessmen, who had learned about the arrival of Ukrainian children from the media, contacted our embassy to give them gifts. This is yet another most conspicuous example of people, various entrepreneurs and organizations in Azerbaijan supporting and helping Ukraine.

AZERBAIJANIS KNOW UKRAINIAN PERFORMERS WELL AND SING UKRAINIAN SONGS

- What initiatives in the sectors of culture, education or youth exchange does the Embassy of Ukraine in Azerbaijan support in order to deepen the human dimension of our relations?

- Azerbaijani students are among the five largest foreign student communities in Ukrainian universities. Recently, we, together with the Ukrainian State Center for International Education and its head Olena Shapovalova, held a major exhibition of Ukrainian universities. Over two dozen renowned Ukrainian universities, among them the world-famous Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University, Lviv Polytechnic, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University in Kharkiv showcased their educational services to the Azerbaijani audience, and this exhibition generated a lot of interest among the Azerbaijanis. And now we have several specific collaborative projects in the education sector, targeted at potential students from Azerbaijan and elsewhere.

Last year, we held two important events as part of the projects “New Horizons of Ukrainian Culture”: “Days of Ukrainian Cinema” and “Days of Ukrainian Literature”.

We have published several collections of Ukrainian poetry translated in Azerbaijani and, in a collaboration with the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine and its head Serhiy Bordenyuk, presented a number of Ukrainian movies, including the movie “Back Home” with Akhtem Seitablayev in the leading role. Akhtem Seitablayev visited Baku last year at our invitation. In a part of the movie, the main characters speak the Crimean Tatar language, which is related and very close to Azerbaijani.

Having gained a successful experience last year, we, joined with our partners, are planning to hold literature days and cinema days this year as well.

Earlier this year, we collaborated with the Dity.Help platform and the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War to organize an incredibly emotional performance by Ukrainian children in Azerbaijan as part of a rehabilitation program for a group of children of our heroes in captivity.

Azerbaijani stars as well took part in this performance. Lots of Azerbaijani visitors left this performance with tears in their eyes. In addition to famous Ukrainian songs, the children, stars of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, also sang Azerbaijani songs they learned during their short stay in Azerbaijan, and also read from the stage piercing original poems about the struggle and resilience of our people.

Such cultural projects and events undoubtedly unite our hearts, because the pain of war is close to Azerbaijani society. This support is invaluable. These projects open new chapters of culture, which is now becoming increasingly emotional and poignant due to the war.

- Azerbaijan has recently banned Russian cultural events on its territory. Has this prompted an increased demand for Ukrainian culture among Azerbaijani cultural and movie marketing institutions? Are there plans for concerts by Ukrainian performers?

- We are indeed planning a whole series of cultural events for the Fall. Azerbaijanis know Ukrainian performers well, including particularly Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Oleh Skrypka and the bands "Okean Elzy" and VV, in addition to other performers such as the bands Boombox and Kalush Orchestra.

Azerbaijanis also know other Ukrainian performers well and sing Ukrainian songs. And these songs can also be heard on Azerbaijani radio stations. And so, for the Fall, we are planning a whole series of cultural diplomacy events that would open another chapter of cooperation between the cultural sectors and peoples of our countries.

- Relations between Baku and the Kremlin have deteriorated following the shooting down of an Azerbaijani passenger plane by the Russians and the murder of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg. Has this prompted a shift in Baku’s official stance or rhetoric with respect to Ukraine?

- I can say that the Azerbaijani people and the leadership of Azerbaijan have always supported Ukraine. And this is what means the most to us. This support is reciprocal, and it has a long, time-tested history, like, incidentally, is the history of diplomatic relations between our countries. A building in central Baku features a memorial plaque stating that this building housed the first diplomatic mission of Ukraine in 1919-1920. Therefore, our friendship, our support, our cooperation and our strategic partnership have a solid foundation and deep roots.

We are supporting Azerbaijan, are sincerely grateful to Azerbaijani friends and partners for their help, and a mission of ours, of the embassy team is to expand the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the Republic of Azerbaijan, bolstering support for our country in these hard times.

Yuriy Chorny led this conversation

Photo: Kyrylo Chubotin