President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received at the Presidential Palace Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Viktor Christenko on November 28.

Warmly and cordially welcoming the guest, the Head of the Azerbaijan State Ilham Aliyev said:

I heard the sitting of the intergovernmental commission had held very successfully, a lot of issues had been considered. This indicates once again that relations between our two countries are successfully developed in all spheres including that of economic cooperation.

It no secret that the foundation of the new stage of our multisided interrelations was laid doe to the visits by our presidents Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijan, and Heydar Aliyev to Moscow in 2001 and 2002. After these visits, negotiations and consultations held, the relations between Azerbaijan and Russian have been brought to a qualitatively new level. For the short period, a lot of problems remained unsolved for many years, have been solved. Close interrelations in political sphere have also been established. Of course, it has had a fast positive effect on economic sphere. We are very satisfied of that. All this is of paramount importance to us. The economic cooperation established between our countries has very good political basis. That is if there is a political will, theses relations are developed successfully. At the same time, the economic links strengthen our friendly and good neighboring relations.

There are over 300 enterprises with Russian capital; favorable conditions have been created for them to operate successfully. We want to intensify our cooperation including in economic field. We have huge potential, and our countries have great perspectives. Relations between our two countries will be more solid if we have appropriate economic basis, and in this regard, the activity of the intergovernmental commission is worthy of high assessment.

I would like to underline that we shall further make every effort to intensify the works in this filed. I once more welcome You and hope that Your short stay in Azerbaijan will be a pleasure and useful.

Expressing his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for warm reception, Victor Christenko said:

“Thank You very much, highly esteemed Ilham Heydarovich. First, I would like to thank You for receiving us. I would extend to You greetings and best wishes of the President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. It is very characteristic that our cooperation in the trade-economic sphere will strictly go on the mentioned plan, even, I would say, strictly on the time, both in the organizational and content sense. We intended to meet the co-chairs in Baku, and it was reached. I absolutely share the standpoint that today our economic relations are straightly rising. It is for the second year that we watch very good trends both in the goods turnover and in economic cooperation. Moreover, this is watched not only from the standpoint of volumes, but also from the standpoint of diversification and numerous directions. Completely new pages appeared in our relations, which there were not early as such.

Today, we signed inter-governmental Memo on cooperation in the field of airspace activity. We have opened a new page on mutual supply of power energy, which is extremely important, for, both high technologies and infrastructure, on the one hand, is framework, and on the other hand, perspective on our cooperation.

I want to say that we always feel a particular attention to the Azerbaijani-Russian relations by You and Your subordinate officials. We try to be active as your assistants who are working in this field. As far as their activeness deserves compliments, we should react to this with not only the diplomatic kindness, but also find solution of the problems, which, may be, were sometimes insoluble and difficult. This concerns a number of issues connected with the customs, border affairs, also property affairs and a dozen of other problems. Today we had a comprehensive talk on all directions.

We outlined that in April we shall conduct a large session of the Azerbaijani -Russians inter-governmental commission. On schedule, it should be held in Baku. I hope nothing will impede this plans.

Ilham Aliyev: I am sure, that nothing will impede. We shall be pleased again to welcome You as a friend of mine and co-chair of the commission. Because, I have noted already, we are keen in all-faceted development of our relations. You completely noted that economically there appear new fields of cooperation, which earlier did not exist. We welcome it very much. All these evince that we have large opportunities for expansion of cooperation. There is a good base for it – well-established political mutual relations. Several days ago, I had a phone conversation with the President of Russia, we had a comprehensive exchange of views on a dozen of issues – bilateral and regional, and we have full consensus ad idem. That is, political background is very favorable. It is a sin not to take advantage of the chance to satiate it with real projects.

We are very keen in participation of the Russian companies in the investment projects. This was our position from the very beginning of cooperation, from the time when, on the decision of our President Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan acceded to the CIS. But, of course, business in our countries was formed later than in the developed countries. The companies had to strengthen, become strong. Today, in Russia there are companies with world standards with high technology and finance potential. Therefore, we are keen in their active participation in Azerbaijan. I consider that it will be mutually.

I think that in April, when You will come again, all the mentioned questions will be solved. There is no an insoluble question. The issues of the Caspian, Gabala RLS and others also were said to be insoluble. But they were solved, and for mutual satisfaction and with the observation of mutual national interests of both states. Therefore, I think, all other issues, I spoke with Nikiolay Timofeyevich on this, will also be resolved. All the accrued questions will be immediately solved either.

Boris Christenko: I completely agree that the main is not to conceal them. And if you do not notice them, this does not mean that they lessen, and that they are self-solved. I would also like to draw attention to Your phrase that there are 300 joint ventures and that the investment potential has not been emaciated. I am absolutely agreed with it. If to view dynamics of the development of relations in the last five years, in any case, our efforts were significantly meant to drag trade links to the economic cooperation. This is also very important and actual. But, it is more important and yields fruit the investment cooperation. It might have a very large sphere. Today, we have discussed a project in the field of machine building, and perhaps, I regard in this sphere the infrastructure and transport projects. This is a sphere where we, in fact, can base on our own force, technology and financial schemes. For realization of these projects, we have enough experience and practice. I agree with You – that favorable background which was created during three years, extremely intensive meetings at high political level, oblige us to meet this level. Therefore, I think, those tasks that You put before us, we will undoubtedly take to realize in the frame of organization of the trade-economic and investment cooperation.

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First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Abbas Abbasov, ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Ramiz Rzayev, ambassador of Russia to Azerbaijan Nikolay Ryabov participated at the reception.