FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem held talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the capital on Saturday to explore opportunities for closer collaboration across motorsport, road safety and sustainable transport, the Emirates News Agency reported. The discussions occurred on the sidelines of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which this year marks ten years of street racing in Baku and has positioned the country as a prominent venue on the international calendar. According to the agency, both sides examined how mobility initiatives can drive economic growth, improve connectivity and support Azerbaijan’s ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing safer and greener transport options.
The meeting highlighted Azerbaijan’s ambitions to grow as an international motorsport hub and expand its partnership with the global governing body, the Emirates News Agency stated. Ben Sulayem noted that the sustained success of Formula 1 events in Baku reflects the benefits of consistent planning and organisation, adding that such major sporting occasions help unite communities and raise a nation’s global profile. The FIA leader also pointed to the federation’s role in working alongside governments and national clubs to advance broader mobility goals throughout the region.
Azerbaijan continues to record significant road traffic fatalities, with the World Health Organization estimating 1,769 deaths in 2021 at a rate of 17.2 per 100,000 population, a figure that exceeds both Asia-Pacific and Central and West Asia averages. The WHO profile further shows that pedestrians accounted for 42 percent of those fatalities, underscoring the need for targeted safety measures that featured in the presidential discussions. Previous FIA-supported projects in the country, including school-zone safety improvements backed by the FIA Foundation and eco-driving training programmes for thousands of professional drivers ahead of COP29, demonstrate the federation’s established commitment in this area.
Ben Sulayem said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss shared ambitions for the continued development of motorsport and mobility in Azerbaijan. He added that the FIA, as the global federation for mobility organisations, is committed to working with governments and member clubs, including the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation, to make mobility safer, more accessible and sustainable. The comments came as part of a wider visit that brought together government officials, motorsport representatives and mobility stakeholders to identify further avenues for FIA activities in Azerbaijan and neighbouring countries.
The talks align with Azerbaijan’s participation in international forums on sustainable mobility, including its representation in the International Transport Forum’s working group on services for small and medium-sized cities and rural areas, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport indicated in June. That involvement focuses on sharing national experiences in public transport development and applying comparative research to domestic policy, complementing the road safety priorities addressed with the FIA. Such coordination reflects a broader push to harmonise infrastructure upgrades with global standards for emission reduction and safer road user behaviour.
Ben Sulayem’s programme in Baku also reinforced the FIA’s emphasis on grassroots motorsport growth and the use of its worldwide network to promote accessibility alongside safety and sustainability objectives, the federation reported. Azerbaijan sits at a strategic crossroads between Europe and Asia, offering scope for expanded collaboration in both sporting and mobility domains as the country upgrades its transport systems. The presidential exchange is expected to pave the way for concrete follow-up projects between the FIA, the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation and relevant ministries in the coming months.
