Dear Vyacheslav Ivanovich, you are known in Azerbaijan as a big friend of the country, and your longstanding and friendly relations with Heydar Aliyevich are well known too. That’s why it gives me a special pleasure to see you. Relations between our countries are being developed very successfully. We have achieved great progress in all spheres. There are great achievements in political, economic and cultural spheres. Russia is our strategic partner. It was repeatedly stated by President Heydar Aliyev. His policy is being continued in Azerbaijan. Power succession exists here, and all that had been planned is now being realized. This is, I thing, a good foundation for stability and development of our society.

As you know, the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan were given very serious impetus after the visit by President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to Azerbaijan, his meeting with President Heydar Aliyevich Aliyev. Next meetings of the two presidents were held in the atmosphere of full mutual understanding and personal sympathy. It gives me great pleasure to feel Vladimir Vladimirovich’s care and kind attitude also after my election as President. We had very good meeting in Yalta during the CIS summit. Later, we have telephone conversations. It is very valuable, and we will develop and strengthen our relations for our countries to be closer and advance. Very much have been done, and much is to be done.

I would state more than once that I could not see any problems in our bilateral relations. All problems, which were to be solved, have been successfully solved in all spheres. Our task is to do our best for strengthening the relations. I am also aware of your role in it. I think our two countries will continue to advance towards close interaction.

Having thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the warm reception, Vyacheslav Trubnikov said:

With all my heart, I support the program you have just described in relation to our bilateral relations.

I want to convey to you warmest greetings from our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and to stress the fact that the today’s Russia-Azerbaijan relations following the course of strategic partnership could be considered as a model. We really do not have problems, which could disjoin us; on the contrary, there is a huge potential for further interaction and deepening the cooperation practically in all spheres. We have just arrived from the Embassy, where the Russian community marked its tenth anniversary. It gave me great pleasure to feel the Russian community’s attitude to the land, where they live – this is sincere, kind and heartfelt attitude. This is like that due to Heydar Aliyevich, and I am confident that you too will carry out the policy for our cultural space to strengthen and develop.

Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are characterized by full transparency, openness and mutual support. That is great.

I would like to mention that I had a conversation yesterday with my Minister, who had returned from Kiev, where the extraordinary session of the Council of CIS Foreign Ministers was held to discuss the situation in Georgia. You know, it gave me pleasure to hear the highest assessment Igor Sergeevich had given to the Azerbaijan’s position during his conversation with our President. Our interaction in this issue is unconditionally the a pledge of peace, stability, respect to human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the region’s states This is the fundamental course of the Russian foreign policy in the former Soviet Union space.

We are Caspian littoral states, and this regard we have full mutual understanding as well.

In all, the strategic partnership is many-sided and able to bring us up the new level of the bilateral relations. I think Russia, as a participant of the Minsk process will do all possible for the problem Nagorno-Garabakh to find its resolution. In other words, we are ready and open for wide interaction in many issues of mutual interests of Russia and Azerbaijan.

ILHAM ALIYEV: Thank you, Vyacheslav Ivanovich. You have noted the attitude to the Russian people, Russian culture and the representatives of Russian nationality living in Azerbaijan. Peace, concord and tolerance prevail in Azerbaijan. I am sure that policy carried out in the country for the last years will be continued and lead to more rapprochement between the peoples living here.

None of the Russian schools was subject to pressure; I have told recently the representatives of Russian speaking press that the number of Russian newspapers had increased. It reaffirms the existing of good preconditions for further development of the bilateral relations.

The situation in the region is certainly a very important factor to both Russia and Azerbaijan. As we know, one of the sources of instability in the region is Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Garabakh. We hope that Russia, France and the USA as the Minsk group co-chairs will further take efforts for resolution of the conflict in accordance with the norms of international law. Unfortunately, however, the Minsk group activity has not yet brought results, but we do not lose hope.

As you fairly noted, we have full mutual understanding in all spheres. In energy sector today, we are implementing projects, which seemed to be unreal five years ago. I am certain that joining efforts in this sphere meets our mutual interests.

Azerbaijan is interested in economically strong Russia, I am sure that Russia is also interested in economically strong Azerbaijan. We are neighbors, and we have friendly and fraternal relations. We will develop and strengthen these relations.

VYACHESLAV TRUBNIKOV: dear Mr. President, I would like to express in your person, my gratitude to Azerbaijan, the people of Azerbaijan for close cooperation in anti-terror struggle. It required a great courage from Heydar Aliyevich to join this serious combat against terrorism, to help Russia in resolution of the problems regarding the international terrorism in Chechnya. I realize how difficult it was to do so. And I am certain that while speaking of succession you mean that in combat against new challenges and threats of the XXI century Azerbaijan will hold the same place as it did under Heydar Aliyevich. It is very important to us as the normalization of the situation in Chechnya will normalized that in the Northern Caucasus.

It gives me great pleasure to point out that we have very serious and close interaction under foreign ministries and special services. This strengthens our relations.

You know that in Yalta, Vladimir Vladimirovich invited you to visit our country. We will receive you with great pleasure. Just recently in Moscow, very useful negotiations have been held between Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Vilayat Guliyev and our Foreign minister. This shows that our relations are being developed in the line ascent, and there is a confidence that we will further take steps forward.

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Also present at the reception were Chief of the Foreign Relations Department of the Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalaf Khalafov, Ambassador of Russia to Azerbaijan Nikolay Ryabov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Ramiz Rizayev.