Yalchin Rafiyev: Azerbaijan to continue creating new mechanisms for international cooperation

Azerbaijan intends to further expand international development cooperation, strengthen existing partnerships, and create new mechanisms for interaction, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Yalchin Rafiyev stated at the closing ceremony of the conference "Strengthening Global Solidarity through Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation," Report informs.

The conference was dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA).

"AIDA's 15th anniversary is an excellent opportunity to define new vectors for our interaction. In the next stage, drawing on our accumulated experience, our main priorities will remain the creation of new partnerships, the improvement of cooperation mechanisms, and the expansion of our practical contribution to the global development agenda," Rafiyev said.

According to him, AIDA's experience demonstrates that development cooperation is not limited to financial support.

"The exchange of knowledge and experience, the export of Azerbaijani know-how, technical assistance, education, healthcare, and the development of institutional capacity and human capital are also important components of such interaction. In this context, Azerbaijan's example of sharing experience with partners within the framework of South-South cooperation and trilateral interaction is illustrative. Cooperation in areas such as the ASAN model, education, healthcare, and e-government has expanded Azerbaijan's opportunities to share practical experience with international partners," he noted.

Rafiyev emphasized that discussions during the conference showed that the effectiveness of development cooperation cannot be evaluated solely by the volume of allocated funds.

"Respect for national priorities and local needs, country ownership, transparency, accountability, coordination, the strengthening of institutional and human capacity, as well as the sustainability of results, are key conditions for effective cooperation. The global development agenda will continue to face new challenges in the coming period. The scale and complexity of these problems will require even greater international solidarity, expanded partnerships, and the creation of more flexible and inclusive cooperation mechanisms," the deputy minister added.