OFFICIAL NEWS
PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND RUSSIA HOLD TALKS
President Vladimir Putin said:
Ilham Heydarovich, first of all, I would like to thank you for coming to Moscow, accepting our invitation. And I want to congratulate you on the successful visit to Brussels. I know this visit was very businesslike and concrete, with important agreements reached in terms of Azerbaijan’s participation in the All-European energy efforts. It pleases us too because, as you know, we are in a constant dialogue with the European Union on the matter. And the regular meeting, the regular summit is coming soon, so I will be curious and interested in having your opinion on how the dialogue with the European partners was going.
In addition to all this, we have a broad scope of bilateral relationship in political sphere, international affairs and economy.
The trade has exceeded $1 billion, and I think we will double it in the next 2-3 years. This is what the trade growth rate indicates, at least. This year, as far as I am concerned, we have already increased our trade volume by 50 percent.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said:
Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich. I am also very pleased to be in Moscow again, and very pleased to meet you again, and discuss our bilateral relations, regional cooperation and the situation in our region.
We are also satisfied with our relations. They are very dynamical, very effective, and built on good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, and we can see a practical result. Recently, the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have entered the highest level since gaining the independence. And of course, we are striving to increase the potential of the cooperation. The cooperation is now very active in political, economic and humanitarian areas.
We have become much closer to each other also in the framework of the Year of Russia in Azerbaijan, which, unfortunately, is approaching the end as scheduled, but I hope will be continued spiritually in future. This format – holding the year of Azerbaijan in Russia, and that of Russia in Azerbaijan –has turned to be very efficient and useful. Over this period, our countries and peoples have become more close to each other. And, there is probably a need to find some other form to continue the contacts we had on all levels during the year. All this issues are interconnected, and resolution of these issues will further both strengthening our relations and stabilization of the situation in the region in general.