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Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Mikhails Popkovs: â€œOur stance is concrete: Garabagh is Azerbaijanâ€™s territoryâ€?

27 October 2006 12:51 (UTC +04:00)

- During the year there were two visits: Ms President of Latvia Vayra-Viki Freyberga and Mr. President Ilham Aliyev had official visits. How are the documents, which were signed during Ms President Vayra-Viki Freybergaâ€™s visit to Baku last year, being implemented?
- During last year the relations between our countries turned became very special, and these official visits played an important role in it. There were signed a number of agreements, which covered actually all the possible spheres of cooperation for today. All these agreements are long-term. I would like to mention that as a rule such documents are signed for about five years and after that, if no side minds the conditions, the governments just prolong them. Another important achievement of the meetings between our countries was creating the content of intergovernmental commissions from both sides. We hope that the first meeting of the commissions will be held until the end of the year. Nothing is known about the agenda of the first meeting, but we are making the combining of it now.
During the meetings between our presidents signed a number of documents, for example, â€œAbout regulating issues in the information technologies and communication sphereâ€?. According to this agreement, inputting investments into information technologies and communication sphere of both countries, also arrange the conditions to create the joint enterprises and help the cooperation of commercial and nonprofit institutes, which regulate the sphere. Except that, the document includes organizing trainings for Azeri specialists in Latvia and also some joint conferences, forums, etc.
According to the agreement cooperation in the communication, both countries are taking into responsibility to provide restless accepting and delivering the mail to all the addresses. The sides guaranty realizing of free transit through the countryâ€™s territory and distribute the print media of both countries. The countries promise to provide each other with true and in time information in emergency cases. This year in May the national Latvian company Air Baltic started to implement air flights Riga-Baku-Riga. The aim of the agreement about cooperation in the air spheres â€“ is to create for Latvian and Azeri air companies equal conditions for cooperation. Besides that, during Ms Presidentâ€™s visit to Baku last year there were taken joint declarations, which is a really important moment in the development of the relations between our countries. On October 2-5 the representatives of Riga Economics School (the branch of the Stockholm Economics School) is going to organize a seminar for Sweden specialists who want to know more about the region. In its turn in Latvia there is going to take place a seminar, where the representatives of â€œKhazarâ€? university will participate. This seminar will be about the business possibilities of Azerbaijan. The most developing sphere of cooperation between our countries is the finance. For example, since 2000 the representative of Parex bank is working in Baku. This is one of the biggest banks of Latvia, working all over the post-soviet space in crediting real estate, reconstruction of hotels and leasing technological equipment and transport. A year ago Parex leasing was registered in Azerbaijan. Also we have information that another Latvian bank Airkraukles is interested in opening its representative in Baku.
- How did the commodity circulation between our countries change after the visit of ms President and the business forum held in Baku? Were there created any joint enterprises? Which branches do you consider priorities in the relations between Latvia and Azerbaijan?
- In 2004 the commodity circulation between countries increased for two times, in 2005 in consideration with 2004 â€“ it grew on 35%, in 2006 â€“ on 60%. According to Latvian side, the export of Latvian goods to Azerbaijan this year is 3, 3 million dollars. Latvia exports into Azerbaijan wood, food, chemistry or metals. We get food, chemistry and minerals from Azerbaijan. There is a bunch of spheres where our countries can cooperate. And first of all that is the financial sector. In Latvia the financial market is very much developed and in Azerbaijan it just starts to work. Especially thatâ€™s factoring, financial and operative leasing. So Latvia can help Azerbaijan in this sector. The other sphere is tourism. During this summer some groups of tourists from Latvia visited Azerbaijan and also some tourists from Azerbaijan visited Latvia. A Latvian tourism company â€œSpareâ€? is interested in working with Azerbaijani tourists. We also had some meetings with some Azeri tourism companies, but it didnâ€™t actually work. Concerning the joint enterprises, there are about 24 ones and all of them are busy in trade sphere.
- What kind of support can Latvia arrange to Azerbaijan to enter NATO, WTO, EU? What did Latvia gain and loose in entering WTO?
- Latvia is a member of all the three organizations. We greet Azerbaijan entering EU and NATO. This year in November there will be signed a document about European neighborhood policy, which Azerbaijan is going to join. We are ready to support Azerbaijan in this. It is also shown in the declaration signed as a result of Mr. Presidentâ€™s visit to Latvia.
Latvia supports your countryâ€™s initiative to integrate into NATO. In connection with this we are ready to help Azerbaijan to be a partner of this organization. We offered Azerbaijan our help and now are waiting for the request. I also would like to mention that very soon a joint group of UK and Latvian professionals is going to come to Baku to consultant the Azeri side how to make reforms in the military sphere.
To talk about WTO, I would like to mention, that the process of entering this organization is followed by a number of reforms. The trade and customs of the country should be adoptive into the WTO conditions. Latvia doesnâ€™t see any problems in it for Azerbaijan. When entering WTO Latvia has opened its market for the foreigners and got the opportunity to sell its goods at the foreign market. But also some of the small business representatives, especially the ones in agricultural sphere, failed in managing their job. But that is a normal for a country that enters WTO.
- How do you grade the cooperation between our countries in the energy sphere? Would Latvia like to buy oil or gas from Azerbaijan?
- Yes, we have a very big interest to the Azeri energy resources. It was also shown in the joint declaration signed after the visit of Mr. Ilham Aliyev to Latvia. We would also like to use the transit potencies of the country. As everyone knows the potential of both countries is very big. On the territory of Latvia there is situated one of the biggest ports on Baltic Sea - Ventsplits. There are also Riga and Liepae. But all these are much more a perspective to cooperate in future. Maybe our cooperation will be connected with the transit way, which was discussed during the visit of Mr. President of Ukraine Yushenko and while Mr. Ilham Alievâ€™s visit to Belarus. We have a pipeline joining out country with Belarus.
- What is the role of Azeri Diaspora in Latvia? Is there a Latvian Diaspora in Azerbaijan?
- According to our department of migration and citizenship, Azeri Diaspora in Latvia consists about two thousand people, in other sources it is said - four thousand. As far as I know Azeri Diaspora feels very good in Baku. Most of them work in the trade sphere, for example, in Riga there is a chain of supermarkets â€œSevinchâ€?. There is an Azeri Sunday school in Riga too. There is nearly no Latvian Diaspora here. Thatâ€™s are just a few employees of Procter and gamble and Parex bank, also some Latvians, who married Azeris.
- How do you grade the perspectives of relations between our countri4es? Are there any visits or conferenc4es in plans?
- In the middle of this year the head of Azerbaijan parliament visited Latvia and the head of Latvian parliament was invited to Baku. We hope this visit will take place next year. Also during President Aliyevâ€™s visit to Riga the sides agreed that the minister of foreign affairs of the country will come to Baku.
- What is Latviaâ€™s opinion on the point that Azerbaijan brings the Nagorno-Karabakh issue on the international stage and UNO exactly?
- In this question our position is quite exact â€“ Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan. We are supporting the piece regulation of the problem. We support Azerbaijan in bringing the question on an international stage.
- Whatâ€™s Latviaâ€™s opinion on QUAM organization? Is there a possibility, that the country will join it?
- This is not on agenda now. By the way, this question was raised at the meeting of our ministers of foreign affairs. Latvia as other Baltic region countries is ready to watch the processes, but is not going to enter the organization. /APA/