STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV
Esteemed Mr. President,
Ladies and gentlemen!
Mr. President, first of all, I would like to thank you very much for the hospitality shown here to me and my delegation.
I am very happy that today we have had very fruitful talks and wide-ranging exchange of views. Visiting Poland gives me great pleasure, and I would like to express my deep gratitude for awarding me the Order. I assure you that I will continue my activities towards development of the Polish-Azerbaijani relationships. I will exert efforts for these relations to further strengthen and deepen, and for our people to get closer to each other.
We are quite right in regarding these relations as those of strategic partnership. We have a powerful political dialogue. Mr. President, our meetings are held in a regular manner. We regularly meet in Baku, Warsaw and other places to discuss bilateral and regional issues. Our positions on the issues are common. There are wonderful perspectives for our economic ties as well. I am convinced that this visit and its outcomes will promote deepening the cooperation in this field. Esteemed Mr. President, today we have signed a political Declaration focusing on all aspects of bilateral relations. The Declaration is a wonderful document for further cooperation. We feel particular satisfaction at what was enshrined in the Declaration and what you have mentioned today regarding territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Poland has always come out for the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in compliance with the international legal norms and the principle of territorial integrity of countries. Today, you have reiterated this position that is extremely important for the settlement of the conflict. Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is inviolable; it has never been and will never be a subject of negotiations. The problem must be resolved within territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and international support, positions of the world’s leading countries in this issue, of course, creates very favorable conditions for its resolution.
During the conflict, Azerbaijanis were subjected to policy of ethnic cleansing. Over a million of Azerbaijanis were forcedly ousted from their homes. I can add that 16 years ago, the 26th of February, 1992 was marked by ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis. That day Armenia committed act of genocide against Azerbaijanis in the town of Khojaly. Over 600 peaceful residents, including 63 children and 106 women were killed. It was a monstrous crime. In the course of the negotiations we, of course, will not step back from our firm position, and as I said, will try to achieve territorial integrity principle-based resolution of the problem.
For the time being, we are carrying on wide energy dialogue. The results of the first energy summit held at your initiative in Krakow were quite promising. Later we met in Lithuania. This year we are also going to get together. Energy cooperation is, of course, very positively influencing the relations between the two countries encouraging regional cooperation at the same time.
Now we are engaged in defining the framework for the Caspian Sea - Black Sea - Baltic Sea cooperation, and in this context, energy factor is, of course, very important. Azerbaijan has become a country producing and exporting both oil and gas. Oil and gas are already being delivered to the world markets, including to the European Union market. Next year we will increase production. This year Azerbaijan will produce 53 million tons of oil and 18 billion cubic meters of gas. But existing potential is much greater. Producers and consumers should actively cooperate in this field, especially, in gas sector. Interests of both sides should be considered to the maximum extent possible. This area requires large coordination work. I can say Mr. President that the very essence, the main positive outcomes of the Krakow summit were that we, the presidents of several countries, got together and set the parameters for further progress. At the next stage, we should start practical work, and I do not doubt it will also be successful that, in turn, will give a powerful impetus to regional cooperation. Our relationships are many-sided. We have wonderful perspective in economic, energy, political and humanitarian spheres. We are friendly countries building relations in the framework of strategic partnership, and we will seek to safeguard the highest level of these relations.
I am very satisfied at our talks. They were very successful. I am sure that these talks and our next meetings will become an important instrument to further develop our bilateral relations and keep the Polish-Azerbaijani friendship going.
Mr. President, thank you very much once again for the hospitality and presenting me with Poland’s highest award.
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