Beijing, March 18, AZERTAC “Azerbaijan and China enjoy traditional ties of friendship and partnership,” Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev told AZERTAC regarding his visit to China.Hikmet Hajiyev noted that during the meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Samarkand, the strategic tasks were offered to elevate the relations between the two countries to a qualitatively new level and determine new areas of cooperation. "Currently, relations between Azerbaijan and China are comprehensively developing in this direction. Generally speaking, all-round development of relations between the two countries, further deepening of relations, elevating them to a qualitatively new level has been determined as one of the priority directions in Azerbaijan's foreign policy," Hajiyev underlined. "During the trip, together with our colleagues from China, we will discuss issues concerning the development of relations between the two countries, first of all, political consultations, expansion of economic and trade relations, as well as cooperation in the context of the “Middle Corridor,” the Assistant to the President added. "Currently, the Middle Corridor has once again proven its significance in the development of economic and commercial relations and transportation at the international level. China also demonstrates great interest in this project," he noted.Recalling that Azerbaijan will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) this year, Hikmet Hajiyev described Azerbaijan and China as developing countries representing the global South. He said that China has accumulated vast experience in the area of "green energy", adding that the ongoing issues were explored in detail at the meetings held in Beijing.Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev underscored that Azerbaijan and China, the countries that enjoy close relations within international organizations, support each other's position. Shahin JafarovSpecial correspondent