Rome, February 20, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked for the invitation for a state visit to Italy. The head of state noted that the number of documents which were signed today and to be signed tomorrow exceeds 25. “The “Joint Declaration on Strengthening Multidimensional Strategic Partnership” is of particular importance among the signed documents. This declaration confirms that Azerbaijan and Italy are strategic partners. Italy is Azerbaijan's number one partner in the economic area. The trade turnover between our countries is multifaceted and is constantly expanding. Italian companies are widely represented in various sectors of Azerbaijan’s economy, including in the non-oil sector. The discussions to be held and the agreements to be reached at the business forum to be held as part of the visit will give an impetus to further increasing trade between the two countries. Azerbaijan accounts for 92 percent of Italy's trade in the South Caucasus countries. Currently, the trade between Azerbaijan and Italy exceeds $ 6 billion. This figure is expected to increase after the completion of the TAP project. Azerbaijani natural gas will enter the Italian market through the TAP project.”

The head of state noted that the inter-parliamentary relations are of crucial importance to the bilateral cooperation. “Parliamentary elections have recently been held in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani and Italian parliaments cooperate within international organizations as well.”

President Ilham Aliyev reiterated Azerbaijan’s stance on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and hailed Italy’s position on the dispute.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that the “Joint Declaration on Strengthening Strategic Partnership” commends Italy's support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of borders of Azerbaijan, as well as its position on the resolution of the conflict based on the relevant UN and OSCE documents. Italy’s support for Azerbaijan’s relations with the European Union was also highly appreciated.

President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Roberto Fico said that relations between Azerbaijan and Italy are of friendship character.

He described Azerbaijan as one of the key trade partners of Italy. Roberto Fico underlined that this visit would give a significant impetus to further development and deepening of relations between the two countries.

The head of state invited Roberto Fico to pay a visit to Azerbaijan.

The President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies expressed his desire to visit Azerbaijan at his convenience. He expressed his confidence that a business forum to be held and the documents to be signed tomorrow would give a new impetus to the development of cooperation between Italy and Azerbaijan. The President of the Chamber of Deputies noted that the Italian companies’ involvement in various projects in Azerbaijan is also of vital importance in terms of transferring their technical knowledge to the country.