Your Excellency:

On behalf of ITOCHU Oil Exploration Co., please accept our sincere congratulations on your recent nomination as Prime Minister of the Azerbaijan Republic. Although the responsibilities of the Prime Minister will require hard work and diligent efforts, ITOCHU is quite confident that Your Excellency will continue to capably and faithfully serve the Azeri people as you have already done for many years now.

ITOCHU remains appreciative of Your Excellency’s support to our company while you served as the First Vice President of SOCAR. That useful experience will continue to benefit Your Excellency in the challenging time ahead as Prime Minster.

We are pleased to continue expanding ITOCHU’s business activities in Azerbaijan, which began in 1996 with the important ACG project. ITOCHU looks forward to additional opportunities and projects in which we can cooperate further with the Azeri Government. ITOCHU hopes that our business activities will help to benefit the people of Azerbaijan in a positive manner as originally envisioned by President Aliyev’s Oil Strategy.

Finally, ITOCHU will continue to hope for the immediate and full recovery of your father so that President Aliyev may continue to lead the great people of Azerbaijan.

Most respectfully yours,

Masao Yamazaki

President

ITOCHU Oil Exploration Co., Ltd.