Azertag, 21 April 2005

On April 21, Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Vladimir Voronin of Moldova met in an enlarged format, according to AzerTAj correspondent.

The Moldavian leader expressed satisfaction with President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to his country, and greeted members of the Azerbaijani delegation.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked the Moldavian leadership for the invitation to pay a visit to the country, and described it as a new stage in the development of bilateral relations.

Both leaders noted the Azerbaijan-Moldova relations had a firm legal foundation - the Agreement on friendship and cooperation signed in November 27, 1997 and the Joint Statement of October 26, 2004 - for further development.

The parties expressed their intentions to enhance cooperation in the international organizations including the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, BSEC and GUUAM. They noted in particular, that the European New Neighborhood Policy would promote integration into Europe, as the EU’s more active involvement in settlement of the existing conflicts, would help in maintenance of peace and stability in the region.

Noting the importance of the GUUAM member states summit to take place on April 22 in Moldavian capital, Kishinev, the Heads of State exchanged views on implementation of a number of regional economic projects. In particular, they expressed support for expanding of regional cooperation within the framework of the INOGATE program and other projects including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad construction.

The necessity for intergovernmental commission to aim its activities at creation of joint ventures and establishment of direct links between economic subjects of Azerbaijan and Moldova was also mentioned at the meeting.

Moldavian President noted the involvement of Azerbaijani investors in various economic projects especially mentioning their role in construction of the Jurjulesht terminal and oil refinery.