ISTANBUL 

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian presidential aide Igor Levitin held talks on Monday, highlighting that their countries have achieved steady growth in bilateral relations across multiple sectors.

“They noted that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation are successfully developing in various areas, including the field of economy,” said a statement by the Azerbaijani presidency.

The statement said Aliyev and Levitin discussed key topics including collaborative efforts aimed at advancing the North-South transport corridor, enhancing the volume of freight traffic, exploring possibilities for utilizing Azerbaijan's infrastructure, and facilitating cargo transportation along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars and International North-South transport corridors, which have "transformed Azerbaijan into a modern transportation hub."

“They also discussed the study of opportunities for Russia to utilize the potential of the Zangezur corridor in the future and shared opinions on taking advantage of capabilities of modern shipbuilding in Azerbaijan,” the statement said.

On the occasion of Russia Day, Aliyev extended his congratulations to Levitin, it added.