PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN, POLAND MAKE JOINT MEDIA STATEMENTS
Baku, July 2 (AZERTAC). Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Polish leader Lech Kaczynski made joint media statements.
President ILHAM ALIYEV said:
“Dear Mr. President!
Esteemed guests!
Dear friends!
First of all, I cordially welcome you - Mr. President and your entourage - to Azerbaijan. This is your fifth visit to Azerbaijan in three years. It is a very good sign. It shows that our relations are at high level and became intensive. Given that I also visited Poland five times during my presidency, no comments are needed. Indeed, over the last few years the Poland-Azerbaijan relations increased to reach high level.
We have very strong political relations, there are good achievements in the economic field, the Poland-Azerbaijan joint economic commission is working successfully. We have traditionally strong cooperation in the humanitarian field, and today it is rapidly developing. For centuries, Poles have lived and worked in Azerbaijan. Their works, including the architectural ones have been adding beauty to Baku.
Over the last few years, we have observed the development of energy cooperation between Poland and Azerbaijan, and your contribution in this regard is undeniable. Energy sector is of crucial importance to both Poland, Azerbaijan and Europe. Azerbaijan is rich in oil and gas fields. For about 15 years we have been implementing a successful oil and gas strategy in Azerbaijan. This resulted in increase in oil and gas production, and today Azerbaijan is delivering its oil and gas to European and world markets.
Azerbaijan`s oil and gas reserves in the Caspian Sea are very large, and this will allow us to be - for many years, decades from now on - the country of great importance from the point of view of energy security.
The Poland-Azerbaijan energy cooperation is being developed both in the bilateral and multilateral formats.
Efforts initiated by you, we call it the Krakow initiative, in a broad sense, serve to deepening regional cooperation. Several successful energy summits and our joint political declarations define our political will, our wishes.”
President LECH KACZYNSKI said:
“Mr. President!
Ladies and gentlemen!
Esteemed members of the delegations!
This is truly my fifth visit to Baku. Mr. President has also paid five visits to our country during his tenure. We also met several times on the sidelines of summits. Of course these meetings served interests of both Azerbaijan and Poland.
I have already mentioned that we have big cooperation opportunities, which, are being expanded thanks to you Mr. President and your country. We are benefiting from our geographical location to boost these relations. However, I have to mention that last century our countries faced a lot of challenges. The issue of cooperation is of great importance and, we think that Azerbaijan`s rich reserves in the Caspian Sea serve to boosting our cooperation. Your country has become one of the key actors in the European energy security, and we see this, we have been observing this for the last few years. I can even say that your contribution to Europe has made you the important part of the continent. The fact is that many people, many circles not only in my homeland - Poland - but also in whole Europe, including non-European Union member states are aware that Azerbaijan is the place where the key to success lies in. This is the key to success not only of Poland, but the whole European Union, and it is our energy independence.”
The polish leader also touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
He said: “Forced violation of territorial integrity is unacceptable because it can escalate military conflicts. This is why this conflict is against interests of both Azerbaijan and other states. Our conclusion is that Azerbaijan and Poland have full mutual understanding on this issue. The principle of territorial integrity must be respected, observed. At the same time, the rights of minorities must be respected, but this must be based on the principle of territorial integrity.”
Lech Kaczynski also touched upon economic relations between Poland and Azerbaijan, in particular energy cooperation.
He said: “We have a lot of achievements in this regard. However, we are at the start of this road and our cooperation has solid foundations. Nothing can make us turn from this path.
I`m pleased with the outcomes of a May meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission which focused on economic issues and prospects for tourism and cultural cooperation. All this is very important because all peoples, including those of Azerbaijan and Poland have their own opportunities, and they can exchange these opportunities. There must be cultural exchange. But it must not be unilateral, it must spread from the West to the East, from the East to the West, from the North to the South and from the South to the North. Making all this our motto, we are serving to peace in this place, this country, this region.”
The Polish President expressed confidence the Azerbaijan-Poland relations would continue developing.
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