Senegalese president expected to visit Azerbaijan by year-end

The President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, is expected to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan by the end of the year, Senegal's Ambassador Moustapha Sokhna Diop told Report's Turkish bureau.

The ambassador, based in Ankara and accredited to Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Georgia, stated that high-level reciprocal visits are being planned, beginning with ministerial delegations. He added: "We are preparing for the organization of the Senegalese President's visit to Azerbaijan."

According to Diop, the upcoming meetings will primarily focus on economic and trade relations, especially in the oil and gas sector. He emphasized Senegal's interest in learning from Azerbaijan's extensive experience in hydrocarbon extraction, management, and processing, following the discovery of rich oil and gas reserves in Senegal in recent years.

The ambassador noted that current bilateral trade turnover remains small, underscoring the need to intensify official visits to boost cooperation: "One of the main purposes of our visit to Azerbaijan and the meetings we hold is precisely this. We believe that, first of all, it is necessary to bring together representatives of the private sectors of Azerbaijan and Senegal. Entrepreneurs must know exactly what each country produces, what products and opportunities they have. Only after that can joint ventures be created and sustainable trade partnerships established. In short, we must build a strong bridge between our businesspeople."

The ambassador also said he has very positive expectations regarding the Senegalese President's official visit: "Of course, after these contacts, we expect our bilateral relations to rise to a qualitatively new and higher level."