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Victor Yushchenko: The relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine are of strategic character

10 April 2009 08:47 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. â€œThe relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine are of strategic character,â€ said Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko in the media advisory, Presidentâ€™s press service told APA.
â€œBeginning from the signing of the action plan on Ukraine-Azerbaijan cooperation for 2009-2010, all the issues we consider, show that our bilateral relations have significantly developed. We have signed 27 contracts, official statement and memorandum. We have signed 8 more bilateral contracts and agreements today. Our strategic relations have today gained broader normative-legal basis,â€ he said.

Yushchenko said the discussions had been focused on four issues.
â€œWe have said that our dialogue, which started approximately two years ago on the project on Eurasia Oil Transportation Corridor - transportation of the Caspian oil to the countries of the European Union, was on the final stage. Technical-economic feasibility of the transportation of the Caspian oil through the entire route will be approved at the meeting of the management board of Sarmatia Joint Venture in Warsaw on April 24. The project, which faced with multiple obstacles, approaches its consequent end. We paid special attention to the discussion of gas export from Azerbaijan to the European countries. Azerbaijan and Ukraine could express joint position on this issue. We agreed to hold relevant consultations at the level of foreign ministriesâ€.

Victor Yushchenko said they focused attention on the issues of trade, transportation and transit between the two countries. â€œTogether with Mr. President, we reviewed an alternative, which is discussed at the bilateral expert meetings as a prospective project. It is a prolongation of Klaipeda-Ilichevsk Viking container shipment route from Ilichevsk to Poti and Batumi via ferry-boats. We will open the Kerch-Poti-Batumi ferry-boat route this year. It will be economically purposeful to review coordination of these container shipment route and routes from the Black Sea ports until Baku and Almaty and other Central Asian cities. We are forwarding the joint initiative under the aegis of transportation ministers of the countries interested in this project. In near future, Kiev will host their first meeting and we suppose that this political initiative will be correctly expressed at that meetingâ€.