Foreign relations exist between Azerbaijan and Romania. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Bucharest. Romania has an embassy in Baku. The Azerbaijani president visited Romania in October 2004 and the two nations have signed over fifty separate agreements to date. Both countries are full members of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and Council of Europe.
History
Relations between the two countries date back to the 15th century when Uzun Hasan and Moldavian prince Stephen III signed an agreement on military cooperation. This cooperation continued during the Safavid reign. It is believed that the first printing work in Azerbaijan appeared with the help of prince Dimitrie Cantemir. Accompanying Peter the Great on his journey to the Ciscaspian territories, Dimitrie wrote the text of the appeal to the king to the local population in Azerbaijani. In World War I, the Kingdom of Romania was on the side of the Allies, while the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was on the side of the Central Powers.
Romania officially recognized Azerbaijan's independence on December 11, 1991. The Embassy of Romania in Azerbaijan was opened on November 3, 1998, and Embassy of Azerbaijan in Romania on May 19, 2001. Daniel Cristian Ciobanu is an ambassador of Romania in Azerbaijan and Farid Abdinbayov is an ambassador of Azerbaijan in Romania appointed by decree of Azerbaijani president dated June 27, 2013.
The two countries established diplomatic relations on June 19, 1992. While the two share mutual areas in multiple areas, the main focus has been on trade and energy links, with trade delegations and frequent talks regarding the further development of such ties and an increase in bilateral trade since trade originating from Azerbaijan approximately five times the quantity ($161 million) of those from Romania ($31.83 million).
As an existing member, Romania has been a strong advocate of Azerbaijan's future membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), pointing out the strategic importance of the country for trade and shipping, particularly with a view towards Afghanistan.
Agreements In 2000, Azerbaijan and Romania signed an agreement on bilateral defence cooperation, followed by a similar agreement on information sharing in 2004. In December 2007, a Romanian energy delegation visited Azerbaijan. The two parties discussed a gas pipeline and emphasised the importance of the two nations' cooperation in order to provide "energy security in Europe".
State visits In 2004, the Azeri president made a two-day state visit to Romania, during which time, the two leaders held private meetings on a range of issues, including, inter alia, the relationship between the two countries and opportunities for cooperation on counter- terrorism. Eleven separate were signed as a result of these meetings. Also during this visit, the president officially opened a new embassy building, emphasising the role of the embassy in the continuation and development of relations between the nations.
High-level mutual visits
Presidents DateReasonPresidents12 July 1995 official visitPresident of Azerbaijan H. Aliyev2March 1996official visitPresident of Romania I. Iliescu329 June – 1 July 1998official visitPresident of Romania E. Constantinescu47 – 8 September 1998working visit for International Conference on restoration of historical silk routePresident of Romania E. Constantinescu511-12 October 2004official visitPresident of Azerbaijan I. Aliyev65 June 2006working visit for “Black Sea ForumPresident of Azerbaijan I. Aliyev711-12 October 2006official visitPresident of Romania T. Băsescu819 June 2007working visit for GUAM SummitPresident of Romania T. Băsescu924-25 September 2007working visit for opening of Tey Park – Heydar Aliyev Alley and Representation of Heydar Aliyev Foundation in RomaniaPresident of Azerbaijan I. Aliyev102-4 April 2008working visit for NATO Bucharest SummitPresident of Azerbaijan I. Aliyev 1121 August 2008working visitPresident of Romania T. Băsescu1228-29 September 2009official visitPresident of Azerbaijan I. Aliyev1313-14 September 2010working visit for AGRI SummitPresident of Romania T. Băsescu 1418-19 April 2011official visitPresident of Romania, T. Băsescu
Prime Ministers DateReasonMinisters 126-27 June 2013official visitPrime Minister of Romania, Mr. Victor Ponta
Chairmen of Parliament DateReason18-20 December 2006official visitChairman of Azerbaijani Parliament Ogtay Asadoy visited to Romania, and he met with President T. Băsescu and other top officials of Romanian parliament.18-20 June 2008visit on the occasion of 90th anniversary of the establishment of Parliament of Azerbaijana parliamentary delegation led by speaker of the senate Nicolae Vacaroiu 13-16 March 2013official visitChairman of Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea
Documents
Political sphere DocumentsDateLocation1Protocol on cooperation between Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania27 April 1995Baku2Memorandum of Intent between the Government of Azerbaijan and the Government of Romania27 April 1995Baku3Declaration on establishment of friendship relations and partnership between Azerbaijan and Romania2 July 1995Bucharest4Agreement on friendship relations and cooperation between the Azerbaijan and Romania27 March 1996Baku5Declaration on development of friendship relations and partnership between Azerbaijan and Romania30 June 1998Bucharest6Declaration on partnership between Azerbaijan and Romania29 October 2002Baku7Joint Declaration of President of Azerbaijan and President of Romania2004 and 2006Baku and Bucharest8Declaration on Agreement of establishing strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Romania28 September 2009Bucharest9Joint Action Plan on the realization of strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Romania18 April 2011Baku10Protocol of Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania18 April 2011Baku
Resident diplomatic missions Azerbaijan has an embassy in Bucharest. Romania has an embassy in Baku.
See also Foreign relations of Azerbaijan Foreign relations of Romania Azerbaijan-NATO relations Azerbaijan-EU relations Azerbaijanis in Romania Azerbaijanis in Moldova Azerbaijanis in Europe Romanians in Azerbaijan
References
External links Embassy of Romania in Azerbaijan Official website Embassy of Azerbaijan in Romania Official website Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: direction of the Romanian embassy in Baku