On May 12, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, received the Chief Executive Officer of bp, Murray Auchincloss.
“Elchi” reports that the head of state congratulated Murray Auchincloss on his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of bp and expressed his confidence that the successful cooperation between SOCAR and bp would continue under his leadership.
President Ilham Aliyev stated that there is a unique history of partnership between our country and bp spanning more than 30 years. The head of state emphasized that the revenue generated from all projects implemented during this period has been primarily used for the socio-economic development of Azerbaijan.
Noting that the number of projects implemented between our country and bp is increasing, the President of Azerbaijan stressed that this demonstrates that the cooperation is mutually beneficial and highlighted the strategic nature of our partnership.
Expressing his gratitude for the congratulations, Murray Auchincloss said he felt honored to be in Baku.
The Chief Executive Officer of bp particularly emphasized the visionary leadership of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev in ensuring that the revenue generated from oil and gas was spent on the country’s development.
In this regard, Murray Auchincloss touched upon the investments made in the development of Baku, including roads and infrastructure.
The head of state noted that in some cases, revenue from oil and gas leads to social inequality. However, in the case of Azerbaijan, it has helped the country’s progress. Recalling that the “Contract of the Century” was signed shortly after the restoration of our independence, President Ilham Aliyev said that the situation in our country after the First Karabakh War was difficult, emphasizing that we had suffered the loss of our territories and faced a humanitarian catastrophe. The President of Azerbaijan stated that at that time, our budget was at a zero level, and the only way to overcome this situation was to attract major international companies to our country and convince them to invest. In this regard, President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude to bp for the trust it showed.
During the conversation, the energy projects, including renewable energy projects, implemented by bp in our country were mentioned, and the importance of the project implemented by the company in our liberated territories was touched upon.
At the meeting, the role of our country in ensuring Europe’s energy security was noted, and the prospects for SOCAR-bp cooperation were discussed.
