Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev arrived in Azerbaijan for an official visit yesterday.
Dmitriy Medvedev visited the Avenue of Honour to lay a wreath on the grave of Azerbaijan's late president, Heydar Aliyev. The Russian leader also put flowers on the grave of Heydar Aliyev's wife, ophthalmologist and academician, Zarifa Aliyeva.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva hosted an official reception in honour of Dmitriy Medvedev and his spouse Svetlana Medvedeva at the Gulustan Palace.
The heads of state made speeches at the reception. President Aliyev said reciprocal visits by the Azerbaijani and Russian leaders contributed to developing the bilateral relations.
"Every visit marks a new page in our relations," he said.
The Azerbaijani leader said his country enjoyed fruitful political and economic cooperation with Russia. "The documents we will sign during this visit will play an important role in the development of our relations."
The president praised bilateral trade, saying it increased last year despite the global economic crisis.
Ilham Aliyev spoke about Russia's role in solving the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
President Dmitriy Medvedev described Azerbaijan as Russia's strategic partner. He said the documents to be signed during his visit would strengthen "our friendly relations, and, at the same time, contribute to strengthening the bilateral legal basis".
The Russian leader praised "strong economic cooperation" with Azerbaijan.
On the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would continue its "active role on a settlement of the problem".
He praised the humanitarian and cultural cooperation between the two countries. Dmitry Medvedev hailed Azerbaijan's respect for the Russian language and culture, saying "we have the same attitude towards the large Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia".
AzerTAj