Industry and Energy

Home page

Industry and Energy

Patricia Hoffman: â€œTransportation of oil and gas from Azerbaijan to Europe in safety is a shared goal between the two countriesâ€ - PHOTO

Patricia Hoffman: â€œTransportation of oil and gas from Azerbaijan to Europe in safety is a shared goal between the two countriesâ€ - <font color=red>PHOTO</font>

19 April 2012 10:29 (UTC +04:00)

The Ministry of Finance told APA-Economics that the meeting, held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Finance of Azerbaijan Samir Sharifov and Deputy U.S. Secretary of State for Economic Development, Energy and Environment Robert Hormats, discussed the current state of relations between the two countries in various fields and perspectives of cooperation.

Hormats said the U.S. was interested in developing ties with Azerbaijan and further deepening of friendly relations between countries were making efforts to develop relations and activities of the Commission played an important role in mutually beneficial cooperation.

Sharifov reminded several document signed between the two countries, covering different areas, set up appropriate regulatory and legal framework for multilateral cooperation, which had already achieved concrete results. He added that as a result of all this, today Azerbaijan was one of the most important U.S. trading partners among the CIS countries. Thus, the volume of mutual trade turnover in 2011 amounted to $ 2.4 billion.

Sharifov underlined the importance of full support of the U.S. for Azerbaijan in large-scale transnational projects, which play an important role in the development and transportation in the world market of hydrocarbon reserves of the Caspian Sea, said that Azerbaijan always kept the focus of relations with the United States and continually contributes to their the development.

Commission members agreed to accelerate the process of reviewing draft documents on strengthening cooperation in the field of transport, aviation, infrastructure development, information and communication technology, energy research, production and transportation, renewable energy initiatives, trade and investment, financial sector, the modernization of the securities, pension reform and financial management, anti-money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as in the fight against corruption. The sides also reached an agreement on bilateral cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of copyright protection, communications and information technology.

Representatives of relevant institutions of both countries gave presentations on the new concept of Silk Way, a strategic view of 2020, opportunities for cooperation and the work plan for CAREC, etc. the U.S side noted that big infrastructure projects implemented in Azerbaijan within the framework of Silk Way initiative, would contribute to development of regional transport networks.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake noted that the U.S. government appreciates the leadership of Azerbaijan in the implementation of infrastructure projects, especially in the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project and believes that plays paramount importance for the successful implementation of the new concept of Silk Way.

Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary for US Department of Energy Office of Electricity, stressed that Azerbaijan was a major exporter of energy resources in the region, has common goals with the U.S., and it was very important for her country. She said the U.S. was interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the framework of its special programs for the protection of the global energy infrastructure. She noted that today there was a need to protect Azerbaijan’s energy infrastructure from earthquakes and possible terrorist activities and other similar cases on a more professional level: â€œThe U.S. is willing to share their experiences in this field with Azerbaijan as well as transportation of oil and gas from Azerbaijan to Europe in safety is a shared goal between the two countriesâ€.

Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US State Department and JosÃ© Fernandez outlined the progress made by Azerbaijan in recent years, major economic successes, in particular in direction of reduce poverty in the country. He added that the U.S. was happy to see a strong and prosperous region from an economic point of view of Azerbaijan. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State William Craft touched upon the U.S. support for Azerbaijan’s membership in the World Trade Organization and said that the United States would provide assistance to Azerbaijan, both technically and in other matters.

During the session, Azerbaijan and the U.S. signed a grant agreement involving the provision of technical assistance for the opening of direct flights between the two countries. The document was signed by the Civil Aviation Administration of Azerbaijan and the Trade and Development Agency United States.