President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva hosted an official welcome ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, Ngo Phuong Ly, during their state visit to Azerbaijan.

Following a successful official visit to Kazakhstan, General Secretary To Lam, his spouse, and the high-level Vietnamese delegation arrived this afternoon (local time) at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, marking the start of their state visit to Azerbaijan from May 7 to 8 at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev.

At the airport, the delegation was warmly welcomed by First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov; Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov; Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade; Vietnamese Ambassador to the Russian Federation and concurrently to Azerbaijan, Dang Minh Khoi, and his spouse; along with staff and representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy.

Later, at the Presidential Palace – Zugulba Palace in Baku, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva formally received General Secretary To Lam and his spouse.

During the ceremony, the Commander of the Honor Guard reported to General Secretary To Lam, followed by the national anthems of both Vietnam and Azerbaijan.

The Honor Guard then marched past the two leaders to ceremonial music, in a dignified display of state protocol.

After the official ceremony, the two leaders and their spouses posed for commemorative photographs.

This visit marks the highest-level engagement by a Vietnamese Party and State leader to Azerbaijan since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1992.

General Secretary To Lam’s visit is expected to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in sectors where Azerbaijan holds strategic advantages, such as the oil and gas industry and other areas of mutual interest.

Tran Thuong