BAMAKO, Mali

Burkina Faso and Azerbaijan expressed an interest Thursday to cooperate in several sectors, including energy and mining, to boost relations.

The development during a meeting between President Ibrahim Traore and Elchin Oktyabr Oglu Amirbayov, special envoy of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, according to a statement by the Burkina Faso presidency.

A statement said Traore and Amirbayov desired to establish “solid” cooperation and interaction relations.

Amirbayov is visiting Burkina Faso as the two nations mark 20 years of diplomatic relations.​​​​​​​

Amirbayov said the two countries “confirmed their desire to engage in this cooperation built on mutual respect and the preservation of common interests,” according to the statement. “We discussed concrete areas in which this cooperation can be beneficial for our two peoples … energy, vocational education, the mining and the humanitarian area.”

“It is a very appropriate moment to take an overview of our bilateral relations with a view to identify potential avenues to advance these relations,” said Amirbayov.​​​​​​​