During its existence, the Azerbaijan Theatre Union has gained rich experience in the field of international relations. Since 1992, the Azerbaijan Theatre has become a member of the International Union of Public Associations of the International Confederation of Theatre Associations. The International Confederation of Theatre Associations is an international non-governmental creative union of theatre public associations of different states, a non-profit organization of culture, founded in 1992. The President of the International Confederation of Theatre Associations is Valeriy Ivanovich Shadrin.
The International Confederation of Theatre Associations is the founder and organizer of Chekhov International Theatre Festival, which has been carrying out since 1992. Currently, the general director of the festival is V.I. Shadrin. From 1992 to the present, 14 Chekhov festivals were held, in which Azerbaijani delegations took an active part in different years, which commonly included about 300 Azerbaijani theatre workers, including Hasanaga Turabov, Vagif Ibrahimogly, Polad Bul-Bul Ogly, Kyamal Abdullaev, Amaliya Panahova, Fuad Poladov, Bahram Osmanov, Kamal Aslanov, Lyudmila Dukhovnaya, Kamal Khudaverdiev, Aliabbas Gadirov, Besti Jaforova, Haji Ismaylov, Maleyka Asadova, Ramiz Novruzov, Hijran Nasirova, Elkhan Guliyev, Iftikhar Piriyev,Gazanfar Topchiyev, Rafiga Akhundova, Vagif Asadov, Yusif Akbarov, Aligismat Lalayev, Tamilla Maharramova, Alexander Sharovsky, Jannat Selimova, Naida Ismayilzade, Irina Perlova, Rahman Alizade, Huseynaga Atakishiyev, Vagif Sharifov,Yagub Mammadov, Tatiana Gross and others.
In 2010, the Azerbaijan Theatre Union, together with the International Confederation of Theatre Associations, the Ministry of Culture of the Azerbaijan Republic and the “Procent” company, organized the Silk Road of the Chekhov Festival project. Thus, within the framework of the “State Program for the Development of Azerbaijan Theatre for 2009-2019“ approved by President Ilham Aliyev, the Chekhov International Theatre Festival held its overseas show in Baku, which featured three groups: the Canadian Circus Eloise Theatre with the play “Rain“ (director Daniele Finzi Pasca), the French theatre company “The Little Clock Company“ with the play “Aurelia Oratorio“ (directed by Victoria Chaplin, the youngest daughter of Charlie Chaplin) and the Belarusian Academic Drama Theatre named after Yanka Kupala with performance of Chekhov’s“The Wedding“ (director Vladimir Pankov).
The International Confederation of Theatre Associations is the organizer of the project “Review of works by young theatre workers of the Commonwealth countries, the Baltic States and Georgia”, which presents works by directors, stage designers, playwrights of all genres in performing arts, and is intended to promote the development and strengthening of professional links and humanitarian contacts of young theatre workers in all creative professions. In the framework of the project “Review of works by young theatre workers of the CIS, Baltic States and Georgia”, there are held the Youth Theatres’ Forums, and within the framework of Chekhov International Theatre Festival - “Laboratories of young directors from the CIS, Baltic States and Georgia”, in which young theatre workers from Azerbaijan take an active part. It may noted among them Elshad Rahimzade, Elchin Jafarov, Konul Aliyeva, Ismayil Iman, Shabnam Heyrulla, Ayten Mammadova, Alif Jahangirli, Anar Sadigov, Mikayil Mikayilov, Aygun Suleymanova, Farid Ahmadov, Vugar Ahmadov, Turan Kerimbeyli, Mehman Fatullayev and others.
There is Azerbaijan National Centre of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute in the Azerbaijan Theatre Union, which has been a member of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute since 2002. The President of the Azerbaijan National Centre is Azer Pasha Nematov.
The UNESCO International Theatre Institute (UNESCO ITI) is an international theatre organization established in 1948 to promote international relations between theatre workers in order to study the theory and practice of theatre. The President of UNESCO ITI is Mohammed Saif Al-Afham, the General-Director of UNESCO ITI is Tobias Biancone. UNESCO ITI unites more than 90 centres located on different continents. Every 2 or 3 years, UNESCO ITI, in collaboration with centres, holds the main event in the selected city: the UNESCO World ITI Congress, where UNESCO ITI members from all over the world gather and delegations from the Azerbaijan National Centre of UNESCO ITI take part. Since the establishment of UNESCO ITI until mid-2019, there have been held 35 World Congresses.
Since 2010, in accordance with the implementation of the State Program “Azerbaijan Theatre in 2009-2019”, the Baku International Theatre Conference is held every two years under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Azerbaijan Republic, the Azerbaijan Theatre Union and the National Academy of Sciences. There were held five Baku Theatre Conferences, which were attended by theatre workers from different sides of the world, leaders and representatives of world-well-known international cultural and theatre organizations such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), UNESCO ITI (International Theatre Institute), UNIMA (International Union of Puppet Theatres), ASSITEJ (International Association of Theatres for Children and Young People), OISTAT (International Organization of Set Designers, Theatre Architects and Technologists), AICT-IACT (International Association of Theatre Critics), FIRT-IFTR (International Federation of Theatre Researchers), etc.
In order to develop cultural links and collaboration in the interests of performing arts, the Azerbaijan Theatre Union concluded a series of memorandums.
On 7th of November, 2018 in Baku with the assistance of the Azerbaijan National Center of UNESCO ITI, there were signed memorandums of cooperation between the Azerbaijan Theatre Union and the National Theatre of Bulgaria named after Ivan Vazov, as well as between the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre and the National Theatre of Bulgaria named after Ivan Vazov. The memorandums were signed by the General Director of the National Theatre of Bulgaria - Marius Donkin and the chairman of the Azerbaijan Theatre Union, the artistic director and general manager of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre - Azer Pasha Nematov.
On 14 November, 2018, in Baku, with the assistance of the Azerbaijan National Centre of UNESCO ITI, there was signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Azerbaijan Theatre Union and the Georgia Theatre Society. The memorandum was signed by the chairman of the Georgia Theatre Society, the adviser to the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia - Georgy Gegechkori and the chairman of the Azerbaijan Theatre Union - Azer Pasha Nematov. On the same day, 14 November, 2018, another memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Kutaisi Drama Theatre of Georgia and the Sumgayit State Drama Theatre of Azerbaijan, by the director of the Kutaisi Drama Theatre - Konstantin Abashidze and the director of the Sumgayit State Drama Theatre - Mubariz Hamidov and on 5 April, 2019 between the Ganja State Drama Theatre and the Ozurgeti State Drama Theatre, which was signed by director Ganja Drama Theatre - Ali Gasimov and artistic director of the Ozurgeti Drama Theatre - Vasiliy Chikogidze.
On the basis of a memorandum of cooperation between the Azerbaijan Theatre Union and the Georgia Theatre Society on 8 March, 2019, Kutaisi Professional Drama Theatre took part in the Festival of Experimental Performances “Filling an empty space“ in Baku with the performance of V. Gavela “Duplet", and on 5 April, 2019, the Meskhetsky (Akhaltsikhy) Professional State Drama Theatre demonstrated the performance of J. Kashia “Medea vs Euripides” on the stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre.