Baku, March 18 (AZERTAC). A conference entitled “Geopolitics” and energy strategies of the South Caucasus - Azerbaijan in spotlight” has been held in Bucharest with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The event was attended by Azerbaijani MPs, Romanian intellectuals, writers, political analysts, heads of Bucharest-based think tanks, representatives of Romania`s national security department of the presidential administration, ministry of economy, Azerbaijani embassy, leadership of the defense institute, members of the Azerbaijan-Romania Youth and Culture Association.

Director of the Romanian office of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Igbal Hajiyev said in his remarks that the South Caucasus is one of the regions where intensive geopolitical processes are going on.

On the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hajiyev said the problem impedes development in the region.

He noted that Azerbaijan had earned international prestige and became a leader in the South Caucasus thanks to the policy established by national leader Heydar Aliyev and successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev.

Azay Guliyev, MP, head of the friendship group for interparliamentary ties with Romania spoke of the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus, saying this region is spotlight of the world community. According to him, it is not accidental that Azerbaijan’s economy accounts for 80% of that of the South Caucasus region.

Guliyev underlined that delivery of Azerbaijan`s energy resources to the European markets is of great importance to Romania. He noted that Azerbaijan is part of the democratic Europe, saying Azerbaijan signed the visa facilitation with the European Union. Guliyev pointed out that Azerbaijan faced the problem of violation of its territorial integrity. The Nagorno-Karabakh dispute resulted in occupation of 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands. He found the need for the European Union to express its stance on the matter.

The MP said Romania-Azerbaijan relations are developing. He thanked Bucharest for supporting solution of the conflict on the basis of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Director of the Turkic and Eastern Studies Institute, Romania`s first Ambassador to Azerbaijan Tasin Jamil touched upon Azerbaijan-Romania relations. He noted that Romania was the second country to recognize independence of Azerbaijan. According to him, Azerbaijan was the first country among the CIS countries where Romania opened its embassy.

MP Ganire Pashayeva noted that history of Azerbaijan-Romania begin from the 15th century. She noted that the number of Romanian companies operating in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan`s investments in Romania increase. SOCAR`s investments in the Romanian energy market gave a fillip to economic relations between the two countries.

Pashayeva underlined Azerbaijan, which plays an important role in energy security of Europe is both a hydrocarbon producer and transit country.

Director of the SOCAR`s office in Romania Hamza Karimov noted that successful foreign policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijan has turned into the major player in the world energy market. Azerbaijan, which plays a leading role in the projects ensuring energy security of Europe, injected billions of dollars into energy transportation infrastructure, thereby, gaining international prestige.

Karimov told of such projects as TAP, TANAP, which deliver natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, adding there are plans to extend the pipelines to the Balkan states in the future. He also touched upon the projects of the AGRI project. He lingered around the operations of SOCAR in Romania. The Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil firm invested 50 million euro to open 25 filling stations in this country. It helped to open up to 300 new jobs there. The company is going to open stations all over the regions of Romania.

AGRİ LNG Project company`s director Mitika Savu briefed the participants on the AGRİ project.

Editor-in-Chief of the Geopolitics magazine Vasile Simileanu urged international organizations not to be indifferent to the problems in the South Caucasus.