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Elkhan Nuriyev: â€œAzerbaijan should be the most important partner of Russia in the regionâ€

20 October 2009 14:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova â€“ APA. Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under Azerbaijani President Elkhan Nuriyev met with journalists in connection with the outcomes of his visit to Russia, APA reports. Nuriyev said all aspects of Azerbaijan-Russia relations were discussed in Russian Institute of Political Studies, Diplomatic Academy under Foreign Ministry and Carnegie Center. Roundtable on the theme â€œRussia â€“ Azerbaijan: prospects of bilateral relationsâ€ was also held during the visit.

Nuriyev said Azerbaijan-Russia relations are based on historical relations and strong economic cooperation developing for centuries. He underlined that Azerbaijan and Russia are leading states in the region for commercial, economic indicators and said 72 out of 83 Russian federal subjects are directly cooperating with Azerbaijan. He noted that the trade turnover will reach $500 million within two years.
â€œBy signing the gas deal Azerbaijan and Russia reached the new stage of cooperation. It shows that Azerbaijan is pursuing diversification policy in the field of energy,â€ he said.

Elkhan Nuriyev noted Russiaâ€™s important role in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict and said though OSCE Minsk Group increases its efforts, the conflict remains frozen. Touching on the normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations, he said this process should develop simultaneously with the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Nuriyev considers that Azerbaijan should be the most important partner of Russia in the region.
â€œAzerbaijan and Russia are bordering countries, they are interested in the maintenance of stability. Azerbaijan can play an important role, at least for Muslim factor, in maintaining the stability in the North Caucasus. Both countries have great energy resources, are interested in joint cooperation,â€ he said.
Elkhan Nuriyev considers that Azerbaijan and Russia may initiate on establishing regional energy structure.