President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has described Azerbaijan and Bulgaria as "close and strategic partners" during the receipt of credentials of newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria, Rouslan Stoyanov. The President expressed confidence that bilateral ties would continue to develop and highlighted the importance of high-level reciprocal visits, stating that these visits have demonstrated the friendly ties between the two countries and resulted in important decisions being made on the bilateral agenda.