India and Azerbaijan have explored ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, energy, tourism and connectivity during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meetings with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku on Friday.

Jaishankar’s visit was the first by an Indian foreign minister to Azerbaijan in eight years. The two countries have sought to improve ties strained by Baku’s close relations with Pakistan. During the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025, India objected to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry condemning its military attacks.

During his meeting with Aliyev, Jaishankar conveyed greetings from President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Appreciate his positive sentiments for this shared endeavour,” he said on social media.

Jaishankar described his discussions with Bayramov as “productive discussions” that had “charted a pathway forward for our relationship”. Both sides agreed to deepen political consultations, increase official visits, expand economic activities, improve connectivity and strengthen people-to-people ties.

The ministers also discussed regional and global developments, including the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the shared threat of terrorism. Bayramov stressed the “importance of continued dialogue and exploring opportunities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest”.

The visit followed Modi’s meeting with Aliyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan in September. It also followed the first bilateral foreign office consultations in nearly four years, held in April. Jaishankar said discussions with Aliyev include ongoing cooperation and “what we could be doing more, what we could be doing differently”. Bayramov said the talks would help elevate bilateral ties.

Despite more than 1,000 Indian firms operating in Azerbaijan and ONGC Videsh Ltd investing $1.2 billion in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil and gas fields and the associated Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, bilateral trade stood at around $600 million in the first half of 2026. Bayramov identified energy, pharmaceuticals, digital services and mining as potential areas for greater cooperation.

Both sides also discussed additional flights. Azerbaijan received 166,944 Indian tourists in 2025, making India its fourth-largest source of visitors after Russia, Türkiye and Iran. Jaishankar said both countries had agreed to coordinate more closely on the International North-South Transport Corridor. He added, “Air connectivity is also something that we value. There are daily flights, but obviously to deepen the relations we have to think about how to grow that”

Jaishankar thanked Azerbaijan for helping evacuate Indian nationals from Iran after the West Asia conflict began earlier this year. He also welcomed the peace agreement signed by Azerbaijan and Armenia in August 2025, expressing hope for lasting peace.

“India has a very clear position that disputes should be settled through dialogue and diplomacy, and in that context, our discussions covered West Asia, Europe, Eurasia,” he said. “We have a common interest in promoting peace, progress and prosperity. And threats like terrorism, conflict and instability are our common enemies.”