Baku, Azerbaijan, April 16. Today, if we are
talking about Europe’s energy security, it is impossible to imagine
it without Azerbaijan and Georgia, said President of the Republic
of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during a joint press conference with President of Georgia
Mikheil Kavelashvili, Trend reports.
Statement by President Ilham Aliyev
– Dear Mr. President,
Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Dear Mr. President, I would like to once again sincerely welcome
you to Azerbaijan. Welcome to Azerbaijan! I sincerely congratulate
you once again on your election to the post of President and wish
you the best of luck. I am very pleased that your first official
visit after being elected President is to Azerbaijan. We highly
appreciate this in our country. It once again reflects the essence
of Georgian-Azerbaijani relations and the friendship and
brotherhood between our peoples.
Our peoples have lived together in peace, friendship, and
brotherhood for centuries, and this continues to be the case today.
Our interstate relations are also at a high level. Georgia and
Azerbaijan have jointly implemented a number of important projects,
which are of tremendous importance not only for our countries and
peoples but also for a wider geography. Of course, our political
relations are developing. High-level contacts are regular, and
there is an active political dialogue. In other words, the two
friendly and brotherly countries are very closely linked in the
true sense of the word and always support each other in
international organizations. As I mentioned, many investment
projects that unite us are of great importance for a wider
geography. The oil and gas projects, the oil and gas pipelines, and
the transport and communication initiatives jointly implemented by
Azerbaijan and Georgia are truly of great significance. These
projects have not only reshaped the transportation and energy map
of the South Caucasus but also that of the entire Eurasian region.
If we are talking about the energy security of Europe today, it is
impossible to imagine it without Azerbaijan and Georgia. Currently,
Azerbaijan exports natural gas to 12 countries, including Georgia,
and these exports are carried out through Georgia. Our achievements
in the field of transport and communications – the newly built
railways and ports – have created great synergy in both Azerbaijan
and Georgia. In fact, they have become an integral part of the
Middle Corridor. If today we are talking about the Middle Corridor
project in the South Caucasus, it is the corridor that passes
through Azerbaijan and Georgia. Year after year, the volume of
cargo passing through the territory of our countries is increasing.
Additional steps are being taken to further increase the volume of
this cargo.
Establishing peace and security in the South Caucasus is also a
matter of our common interest, and both Georgia and Azerbaijan have
made their contributions here. Unfortunately, for many years, the
South Caucasus was an arena of conflict and war. I do hope that
from now on, the dark pages of the South Caucasus will be closed
and consigned to history.
Much can be said about Georgian-Azerbaijani relations. I simply
want to state that our relations will continue to develop along an
upward trajectory.
Let me once again express my gratitude to Mr. President. I am
sure that the Azerbaijani people will also highly appreciate your
decision. The first visit after an election is usually quite
symbolic, and you are paying this visit to Azerbaijan. The Prime
Minister of Georgia also paid his first official visit to
Azerbaijan after the election. In other words, this has already
become a wonderful tradition.
Therefore, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you
again and wish you continued success in your activities.