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Liberal Democrat MP: â€œ25 per cent of the coalitionâ€™s supplies bound for Afghanistan pass through Azerbaijanâ€

21 September 2011 14:04 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) organised a fringe drinks reception at the Liberal Democrat conference entitled From Baku to Birmingham. The speakers were H.E. Fakhraddin Gurbanov, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the UK and two members of the Azerbaijan All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) â€“ Lord German and Stephen Gilbert, Liberal Democrat MP. The chair was Leon Cook, Head of Government Relations, TEAS.
During his introduction, Mr Cook outlined TEASâ€™ role in promoting the business climate, investment opportunities and culture of Azerbaijan across Europe. Stephen Gilbert MP explained his role in determining LibDem defense strategy. He then commented on the
Azerbaijani armed forcesâ€™ participation in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. He also explained that 25 per cent of the coalitionâ€™s supplies bound for Afghanistan pass through Azerbaijan.

Lord German stated that TEAS literature provided valuable background information on Azerbaijan, which will host the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2012. The peer stressed the relevance of Azerbaijani oil and gas in achieving future European energy security.
He revealed that the UK was the largest investor in Azerbaijan and that the country ranked as one of the worldâ€™s fastest-growing economies.

Lord German expressed hope that Azerbaijan would become even more western-oriented, whilst noting how companies such as Mothercare, Accessorize and Debenhams had developed a role in the countryâ€™s retail sector. Ambassador Gurbanov noted that Azerbaijan is currently celebrating 20 years of independence from the Soviet Union, and acknowledged that the UK was amongst the first countries to recognize this new state. He went on to outline the excellent economic relations between
the UK and Azerbaijan, highlighting an official visit by Azerbaijani President Aliyev in 2009.

His Excellency noted that oil and gas production and transportation remained key priorities for Azerbaijan, being essential to the Azerbaijaniâ€“UK relationship. He explained that Azerbaijan was working to open up its banking, tourism, agriculture and other economic sectors. Ambassador Gurbanov reiterated that Azerbaijan played a key role in the NATO Partnership for Peace Group and was active in the anti-terrorism coalition.

He stated that the country would ensure that the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was a success, confirming that Mehriban Aliyeva MP, the First Lady, was chairing the Eurovision Organization Committee. Ambassador Gurbanov noted that Eurovision would see 150,000 people visit Azerbaijan, adding that the country would do its best to rationalize Visa issues, enabling UK citizens to easily gain access to the country.