Antigua and Barbuda has deepened its diplomatic relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan, entering into a visa waiver agreement with the eastern European country. It was a major highlight of a week of productive engagements led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade the Hon. E.P. Chet Greene at the United Nations.

The agreement was formalized during a brief signing ceremony between Minister Greene and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov on the sideline of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. It means that eligible citizens from Antigua and Barbuda and Azerbaijan can travel between their two countries without the usual requirement of obtaining a visa.

This was only one in a series of bilateral engagements on a packed agenda for Minister Greene as he met with some of Antigua and Barbuda’s key diplomatic partners, engaging them on matters of mutual interests between their countries.

High on his agenda was Antigua and Barbuda’s hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting and the country’s preparations for hosting the historic gathering was a major area of discussion when Minister Greene met with the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Chris Elmore.

Minister Greene also held bilateral discussions with a number of African countries to discuss matters on which they were aligned and as part of Antigua and Barbuda’s support for the candidacy of Maria Espinosa for the post of General Secretary of the United Nations. Espinosa was introduced to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana the Hon. Samuel Ablakwa and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs the Hon. Musalia Mudavadi during separate engagements with the representatives of the two African countries.

Minister Greene also made time to hold bilateral discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan to Antigua and Barbuda’s foreign policy position on a range of matters and introduce the Secretary General candidate.

In addition, Minister Greene joined his head of delegation, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne for bilateral discussions with the Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Arab Emirates His Highness UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, advancing a number of major trade and economic opportunities for the twin island nation.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua and Barbuda Signs Visa Waiver Agreement With Azerbaijan at UN General Assembly.