India and Azerbaijan discussed terrorism, security concerns and other shared threats during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's official visit to Baku, with both sides agreeing on the need for closer cooperation to promote peace, prosperity and security for their people.

Speaking at a media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said security issues, terrorism and common challenges featured prominently in the discussions. 

Addressing questions on whether cross-border terrorism was raised, he stated: "Security issues, terrorism, and the common threats that we face were discussed. Both countries agreed that they must cooperate, collaborate to enhance peace, prosperity, and security of their people, and also work towards shared challenges that they have."

The visit follows recent high-level engagement between the two countries, including a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek. During his visit to Baku, Jaishankar called on President Aliyev and reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations, while conveying greetings from both the Prime Minister and the President of India.

Jaishankar also held extensive talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. According to Jaiswal, the discussions were productive and focused on advancing bilateral ties through deeper political consultations, increased exchanges, including trade-related visits, and stronger economic engagement.

Both sides explored opportunities to expand trade and investment, improve connectivity and strengthen collaboration in the energy sector. They also highlighted the strong cultural understanding between India and Azerbaijan, which was described as a solid foundation for broadening cooperation across multiple areas in the years ahead.

Regional and global developments also featured during the talks. India reiterated its position on the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with Jaiswal stating that New Delhi welcomes the agreement and supports efforts aimed at promoting stability in the region.

Jaishankar additionally thanked Bayramov for Azerbaijan's assistance in facilitating the evacuation of Indian students from Iran during the outbreak of conflict in West Asia. He also invited the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to visit India.

EAM Jaishankar further congratulated Azerbaijan on the successful hosting of the recent Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) meeting, which was attended by Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh.

The visit underscored growing momentum in India-Azerbaijan relations, with both countries signalling their intent to deepen cooperation across political, economic, energy and security spheres while maintaining close dialogue on regional and international developments.

ANI