Baku. Anakhanum Hidayatova – APA. Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Italy, Vagif Sadigov's interview to APA.
- On August 15, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a communique covering Italy’s position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Azerbaijani–Italian relations. How would you comment on this communiqué as the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Italy?
- It is known that the relations between Azerbaijan and Italy are characterized by historical relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. President Ilham Aliyev's last official visit to Italy reiterated the high-level of comprehensive relations based on friendship, mutual trust and interests in different spheres and showed that deepening and expanding cooperation between the two countries would open up broad prospects for our partnership.
Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership, adopted at the meeting of the Azerbaijani President and Italian Prime Minister on July 14, envisages our countries’ intention of giving the bilateral relations a new character. This important document is a result of the successful joint venture of both countries.
Confessing of the urgent necessity to achieve a sustainable solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan through negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group is an important part of the Joint Declaration. This document notes that the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Italy includes closer cooperation to deal with the peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of Azerbaijan's sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of its borders as well as some other issues. This provision of the Declaration is based on numerous resolutions and international law documents approved by international organizations, including the UN Security Council and General Assembly, OSCE, Council of Europe, European Parliament, NATO, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Non-Aligned Movement and others.
In general, the call for supporting the Azerbaijani Republic’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and its internationally recognized borders, and the solution of the conflict on this basis is unanimous and decisive position of the international community. Armenia is the only country which is against this decisive position of the international community.
We should keep in mind that the foundation of interstate relations leans on mutual respect to territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Italy’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is one of the key principles of our bilateral relations. I’d like to mention that Italy was involved in the formation of the OSCE Minsk Group back in the early 1990s and still continues to be an OSCE Minsk Group member. Therefore, it’s quite normal that the Minsk Group is supported by Italy. We also appreciate Italy expressing its deep concern over the latest incidents on the conflict zone.
Italy is one of the co-founders of the European Union, and it’s no coincidence that Italy’s position on this issue coincides with the general policy of the European Union.
We think that the European Union is also playing a crucial part in resolving this conflict.
Respecting countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity is of a principle importance to the member countries of the European Union and has been supported by numerous statements and documents of the European Union, its sub-institutions, the European Parliament and the member countries on Azerbaijan.
I think this approach will also be reflected in the bilateral document to be signed between Azerbaijan and the European Union on strategic partnership.
- How do you assess future prospects of relations between Azerbaijan and Italy?
I’d like to note again that the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership will play a key part in order to turn the existing potential that Azerbaijan and Italy have into bilateral beneficial cooperative opportunities and pave the way for auspicious opportunities before our countries.
Finally, in accordance with the targets defined by the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership, I’d like to express my confidence that friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy would develop even further in the coming years based on the will, mutual trust and respect between our peoples and countries.
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