During his December state visit to the People’s Republic of China, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, paid a visit to Renmin University of China. On behalf of the university, RUC President LIU Wei conferred an honorary professorship on President Aliyev, who later gave a speech to a filled auditorium of Chinese and foreign dignitaries, faculty, and students. The ceremony and lecture were held on December 11th at RUC’s Century Building. Vice President YI Zhihong presided over the ceremony, whose special guests included the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the People’s Republic of China, Latif Seyfaddin oglu Gandilov.
After opening remarks, RUC President LIU Wei gave a speech, during which he highlighted the long history of friendly ties between China and Azerbaijan, dating back to the time of China’s ancient Silk Road 2,000 years ago. In 1992, Azerbaijan established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The relationship between the two countries in the fields of politics, culture, and the economy has seen steady improvement over the past 23 years.
As an institution dedicated to policy research, Renmin University of China takes a special interest in countries across Eurasia situated along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road. As President LIU noted, a total of 12 students from Azerbaijan have studied at RUC. He hopes that Sino-Azerbaijani ties in the areas of culture and higher education will further be strengthened and that Renmin University will continue to play a role in the bilateral relationship.
President Iiham Aliyev accepted the distinction with thanks. During his lecture, he stressed the increasing significance of cooperative ties between China and Azerbaijan.
See also: Profile: Azeri President
