President Ilham Aliyev highlights Azerbaijani tea tradition in interview with Chinese television

During an interview with the Chinese television channel CGTN (China Global Television Network), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had an interesting conversation about Azerbaijani tea.

Report presents the dialogue:

Correspondent: You know what, President, we have been talking, and I'm kind of thirsty. And we have the tea right next to it.

President Ilham Aliyev: I understand what you mean.

Correspondent: I've been eyeing it for some time. So cheers. Oh, okay, cheers. It's a real pleasure. It's the first time I taste Azerbaijani tea.

President Ilham Aliyev: Oh, really?

Correspondent: Yeah, and it's so beautiful, the cup. I want to know what it is.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yeah, it's a national kind of glass. You know, the form is like, I think, like a pear. The form actually is to keep the hot, because we usually drink tea very hot.

Correspondent: Very hot, I see.

President Ilham Aliyev: So it does not get cold. This form keeps the bottom hot.

Correspondent: I see. It adds to the taste, definitely.

President Ilham Aliyev: But I noticed in China, the tea is served not very hot. Is that true?

Correspondent: Also very hot. Maybe because you are guests, they don't want to injure you. So they are being very polite and careful. But we share a lot in common in terms of tea, for instance. We all love drinking tea, but with a variation. And that brings us, if I may, to many things. You know, the ancient Silk Road, for instance, I can talk about. Or we can talk about the people-to-people exchanges, tourism. I understand your country unilaterally exempt visa for Chinese tourists since about a year. And now, during this visit, would you like to share with us the latest news?

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, it's great news that today we signed a totally visa-free regime for every passports, including ordinary passports. We are very grateful to our Chinese friends that they made the reciprocal step. As you correctly mentioned, last year we unilaterally lifted visa requirements for Chinese citizens. That was the first time.