Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr.9 /Trend, E.Ostapenko/
Trend interview with Czech Ambassador to Azerbaijan Radek Matula prior to the embassy's official opening.
Trend: Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic will prioritize what type of cooperation?
Radek Matula: Since the Czech Republic considers Azerbaijan a strategic partner, we want to develop relations not only in the political and economic fields, but also in all other spheres - sciences, culture, education, and tourism. I do not want to mention just one sphere, since I am sure they all have their value in the system of bilateral relations, and the development of cooperation in one sphere always facilitates contacts in the other.
The Czech Embassy seeks to promote contacts between peoples and provide interested Czechs with reliable information about Azerbaijan. On the other hand, the embassy tries to present the Czech Republic to Azerbaijanis as a mutually beneficial partner.
Q: Is the political climate favorable for improving relations and political dialogue?
A: Of course, the political climate for the further development of Azerbaijani-Czech relations is favorable. There are no contentious, problematic issues in our relations. The last two years were significant in terms of bilateral cooperation. We were able to organize a series of important bilateral visits and meetings at the highest level. Embassies were opened in both countries. In 2007, the Azerbaijani Embassy was opened in Prague. In 2009, the Czech Embassy was opened in Baku. The official opening of the embassy is scheduled during Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Jan Kohout's visit to Azerbaijan in the first half of May this year.
I am sure Azerbaijani-Czech relations will have a good future. But we still have a lot of work ahead of us to make this work.
Q: Last October, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic signed an agreement on economic, scientific and technical, and cultural cooperation. There are also plans to establish a joint commission for cooperation in these fields. How successfully can the agreement be implemented? And has a commission been established?
A: Yes, an inter-governmental agreement on economic, scientific and technical and cultural cooperation was signed. The Czech and Azerbaijani sides have implemented all domestic procedures to ensure its implementation. Soon we can start concrete activities to establish the commission.
It is necessary to determine the regulations for the commission's activities, which its co-chairmen will approve at the first meeting. In general, I am confident that the work of the commission will help strengthen mutual contacts between Czech and Azerbaijani businessmen, as well as facilitate the development of trade and economic cooperation.
Q: Which sectors of the Azerbaijani economy appeal most to the Czech Republic? Which industries does the Czech Republic see as areas of investment for Azerbaijani businessmen?
Czech companies and entrepreneurs have much to offer their Azerbaijani partners. In addition to traditional export commodities, like cars, trucks, construction machinery, machine tools, glass and more, we see the possibility of cooperation in the field of alternative and renewable energy, agricultural product processing, packaging lines and breweries. Also we have great prospects in terms of environmental cooperation - sector in which we have years of experience and modern technology. This includes water treatment, recycling, and remediation after oil extraction.
Regarding the investments of Azerbaijani businessmen, I would like to emphasize that the Czech Republic is one of the most attractive countries in Europe for small, medium and large-sized businesses. This is due to our stable political system, and the high level of public demand on various goods and services. Despite the global economic and financial crisis, the country is visited by a large number of foreign tourists and the state has created favorable conditions for entrepreneurs and the development of a credit and banking system.
There is interest in developing business activities in several priority sectors. In particular, we are talking about the automotive industry, aviation and space industry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronics, biotechnology, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, IT and software development, nanotechnology, renewable and alternative energy sources.
Q: Given the increasing gas demand in Europe, how does the Czech Republic plan to ensure its own energy security and meet its domestic fuel demand?
A: First, I want to say that Azerbaijan is a very important partner in terms of energy security. This is connected with the fact that the country receives 25 percent of its oil from Azerbaijan.
Of course, we are interested in improving energy security and the natural gas supply. Therefore, from the very beginning, we supported the Nabucco gas pipeline project as part of a broader EU aim to diversify energy sources and routes. I am referring to the so-called "Southern Corridor."
During its EU presidency, the Czech Republic tried to do everything to ensure the Southern Corridor would be implemented. We organized the Southern Corridor Summit, whose goal was to create the political environment and political support for economically viable energy projects in Prague in May 2009. We highly appreciate the active participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the summit.
Q: What is the official position of the Czech Republic on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
A: The country closely follows the developments around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We believe that a peaceful solution to the conflict based on international law and the principles adopted in the framework of OSCE Minsk Group is the only acceptable way to solve the problem. In this spirit, the Czech Republic supports the OSCE Minsk Group's efforts.
Q: How is Czech-Azerbaijani cultural cooperation developing? What plans and projects does your embassy have in this area?
A: Cultural ties between our countries have a long tradition. We hope the forthcoming creation of a mixed commission for economic, scientific and technical and cultural cooperation will help us to deepen our cultural cooperation.
Even now I watch Czech and Azerbaijani artists as they express an interest in traveling to Baku and Prague to show their art and culture. Hopefully, in the near future, we will organize several cultural events in Baku such as an introduction of Czech cinematography.
Q: Do you plan to cooperate in the field of education? What projects are operating and what are your future plans?
A: Undoubtedly, bilateral ties in education will expand. Already, a number of universities in the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan are in talks about opportunities for collaboration, sharing draft protocols on cooperation, etc. The embassy was keen to facilitate contacts between universities and to support specific joint projects. This is our main task in this area.
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