"First of all, thank you for the invitation. I am also very glad to see you. This is another good opportunity to discuss important issues of our interaction. Thank you for your congratulations. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all Muslims of Russia on Eid al-Adha. This is a holiday of solidarity, a holiday of unity.

On the bilateral agenda, I completely agree with you, of course, that we are moving forward very confidently. The turnover grew in the first six months. This is very important because last year we had a drop of more than 10 percent. We are also actively building up cooperation in transport and transit relations. I am told that about 20 percent more cargo has been transported along the North-South transport corridor than last year. So the corridor is already working in large volumes, one might say.

I would like to thank you for your help in the fight against coronavirus. We have already received more than 200,000 doses of Sputnik-V from Russia, and deliveries are still pending. I know that

there are a lot of applicants, because this vaccine has proven effective. Of course, it is also very difficult to provide it to everyone, but as friends and partners, I want to once again express my gratitude that we are in the forefront among recipients of the vaccine.

I would also like to inform you that this year has seen the first graduation of the branch of the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. This is a significant event. Time flies by. And more than a thousand students are attending our two branches – Moscow State University and Sechenov Medical University. There are more than 15,000 Azerbaijanis studying in Russia. Another 16,000 students in Azerbaijan go to Russian language departments. So this is such a large cohort of Azerbaijani youth which is already connected with Russia – through language, communication and education. I think this is very important in transferring our experience to the younger generation.

And of course, the topic of the post-conflict situation in the region. I would like to express my gratitude to you for your continuous attention to this issue, for your personal participation in resolving very important and sensitive issues. We have been in constant contact over the past eight months since the end of hostilities. I think that our personal communication in Moscow in January and by phone have played a very important role in stabilizing the situation. We are determined to ensure that the post-conflict period is as painless as possible. I think we are succeeding in that by common efforts.

Thank you again for the invitation and, of course, we will discuss important issues of interaction and regional problems," the head of state said.