BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 27. Naturally, a large part of our cooperation pertains to the energy sector. In this field as well, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic have been very reliable partners for many years, President Ilham Aliyev said during a press statement with Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš, Trend reports.
Statement by President Ilham Aliyev
- Honorable Mr. Prime Minister,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I sincerely welcome you.
I am very pleased that Mr. Prime Minister is our guest today. We met three months ago in Davos. That was our first meeting, and it was very productive; we exchanged views on many issues. I invited Mr. Prime Minister on an official visit to Azerbaijan, and I am glad that this visit is taking place today. This demonstrates the dynamic development of relations between the two countries. We now have a very active political dialogue. Today, an exchange of views was held on many issues, including those of a regional, bilateral, and global nature.
There are concrete proposals regarding the work to be done in the economic sphere. I am glad that a large group of businesspeople from the Czech Republic has come to Azerbaijan together with the Prime Minister, and at the business forum to be held today, new contacts will be established and views will be exchanged on existing projects. Our strong expectation is to raise our trade turnover to an even higher level. Even so, our trade turnover has already increased significantly and stands at over 800 million dollars. However, if we look at its structure, we see that it mainly consists of Azerbaijani oil exports. Therefore, we aim for the trade turnover to be more balanced and for its structure to be improved. I hope we will achieve this, as many specific economic and investment-oriented projects were discussed today, both in the one-on-one meeting and in negotiations with delegations.
Naturally, a large part of our cooperation pertains to the energy sector. In this field as well, the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan have been very reliable partners for many years. Azerbaijani oil is exported to the Czech Republic and occupies an important place in the Czech energy balance. Azerbaijan is among the reliable countries exporting its energy resources to global markets. This is also noted by the European Union, which evaluates Azerbaijan as a reliable partner. Today, Azerbaijani gas is exported to 16 countries, 10 of which are members of the European Union. Furthermore, Azerbaijan exports natural gas to countries neighboring the Czech Republic. Naturally, we discussed this today as well and reached an understanding regarding future cooperation in this field. We view this through a broader lens; it will not merely be trade operations or energy resource export operations. We view it as large-scale, long-term cooperation.
Another important area of cooperation between our countries is the defense industry. Successful cooperation has been carried out here for a long time as well. We purchase many military-grade products from the Czech Republic, and at the current stage, negotiations are underway on specific projects regarding joint production. I am confident that this field will also be large-scale. Azerbaijan ensures its defense potential, including through local production, and in the future, our joint efforts with countries such as the Czech Republic, which has extensive experience in this field, will be of particular importance.
An exchange of views was also held today regarding many other areas. Discussions were also held on the Intergovernmental Commission holding an event and meeting again soon. In short, friendship and cooperation between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan are reaffirmed once again today, and excellent prospects are opening before us.
Mr. Prime Minister, once again, welcome to Azerbaijan.
