POLITICS
Italian FM describes relations with Azerbaijan as strategic
Baku, April 20, AZERTAC
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Angelino Alfano has described his country`s relations with Azerbaijan as strategic.
At a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Alfano characterized Azerbaijan as a critical and reliable partner and called relations with Azerbaijan strategic. Minister Alfano hailed high level political dialogue between the two countries. He mentioned the importance of relations in the field of energy and significance of TAP project. The Italian minister added that there is a wide range of opportunities in deepening economic relations along other sectors.
Minister Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan and Italy enjoy strategic partnership relations, as it was enshrined in the Joint Statement adopted during the visit of the President of Azerbaijan to Italy in 2014. Mammadyarov underlined that Italy is the biggest trade partner of Azerbaijan in the European Union. He also stressed the significance of relations in humanitarian area, and highlighted the activities of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
Mammadyarov put special stress on the Southern Gas Corridor and TANAP and TAP projects as its crucial components.. He also gave information on North-South and East-West transport corridors and praised the promising cooperation in this direction as mutually beneficial.
The FM also spoke of Azerbaijan-European Union cooperation and negotiation process on strategic partnership agreement.
Mammadyarov touched upon the negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He stated the importance of EU's expressing commitment to the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence and inviolability of borders of states in a common and unambiguous manner in respect of all conflicts.
Following the meeting eh two ministers gave a joint press conference.