OFFICIAL NEWS
PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV AND HIS UKRAINIAN COUNTERPART YUSHCHENKO HOLD JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE
Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine have today gave a joint press conference in Baku.
“We place a great emphasis to this visit and consider it as a continuation of intensive contacts between leaderships of our countries. These contacts have reached a qualitatively new level,” said President Aliyev in his press statement.
According to the Head of State, both leaders discussed a wide range of issues concerning bilateral relations, regional security.
“After the Kiev energy summit, we hope for intensification of processes to agree all terms of our energy cooperation, and before the Baku summit slated for autumn this year, we intend to make serious decisions, which will determine energy interaction in our region,” said Azerbaijani leader, pointing out this issue is important given the importance of diversification for consumers and suppliers.
President Aliyev said, “Azerbaijan and Ukraine actively cooperate on this issue, and we hope to make every effort to make this process more active”.
The Head of State pointed out today’s discussions also revolved around intensification of economic ties, possible mutual investments, participation of both countries` companies in the projects in Ukraine and Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani President noted the monument to outstanding son of Ukrainian people Taras Shevchenko would be unveiled today in Azerbaijan. According to the Head of State, this important historical moment characterize relationships in the humanitarian field between the two countries.
President Ilham Aliyev thanked Ukraine for supporting the resolution on the situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly.
“We discussed cooperation on the trade, investments and energy,” said President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko in his statement.
Ukrainian leader noted trade turnover between the two countries will reach $1 billion. He said, “we have good legislative basis for developing this kind of relations”.
He said an agreement to deliver Azerbaijan`s process oil via the Odessa-Brody pipeline was achieved at the level of experts and governments for oil pumping test.
Yushchenko touched on the education and culture cooperation on regional level. “We discussed the opening Azerbaijani school in Ukraine and Ukrainian school in Azerbaijan, and gave relevant instructions to our ministers and ambassadors,” he added.
President of Ukraine thanked Azerbaijani authorities for erecting the monument to Taras Shevchenko in Baku, adding a book on Taras Shevchenko will be published in autumn under the patronage of the Azerbaijan President.
Yushchenko said the high-level Azerbaijan delegation reached relevant agreements on cooperation on the gas transport system.
Yushchenko touched on holding the Ukrainian industrial and agricultural exhibition in Baku in autumn this year. “We will be stimulating such kind of conferences, meetings and industrial, agricultural exhibitions,” pointed out Ukrainian Leader
President Yushchenko noted both countries have common approach to Nagorno-Karabakh and Holodomor problems.
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