POLITICS
Sir Alan Duncan: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Southern Gas Corridor are visible signs of extraordinary cooperation between UK and Azerbaijan over last 25 years

Baku, November 24, AZERTAC
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor are visible signs of the extraordinary cooperation between the UK and Azerbaijan over the last 25 years, Minister of State of the United Kingdom Sir Alan Duncan made remarks ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit, which is held in Brussels.
He said: "Since our first Eastern Partnership Summit in Prague in 2009, much has happened across the region. The strength of the partnership has remained steadfast and only grown in importance as a signal of our shared commitment to building democracy, prosperity, stability and increased co-operation together. In Azerbaijan, this has taken the form of a sustained UK commitment led by BP to help develop a world class offshore oil and gas industry in the Caspian Sea. Indeed, it is these infrastructure investments that have enabled Azerbaijan to prosper as a truly independent and sovereign nation for the first time in its history."
"Our ties have grown at an astonishing rate in the fields of culture and education too. Growing numbers of young people in Azerbaijan want to study English, obtain a degree from a British University or work for one of the 450 British companies doing business in Azerbaijan. I am confident that people to people links can only deepen as our co-operation expands in the fields of art, literature, music, higher education and sport," he further commented.
On setting the ambitious goals for the future Sir Alan Duncan noted: "That's why we see closer relations for Azerbaijan with the European Union as an important step to deliver beneficial reforms for the people of Azerbaijan," he concluded.