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Ukrainian and Azerbaijani presidents agree to sign strategic agreement

28 October 2010 15:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The second meeting of Ukrainian and Azerbaijani Presidents Council was held in Kiev on October 28, APA reports quoting the Ukrainian Presidentâ€™s website. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said at the press conference that much had been done before the meeting, especially to prepare the Protocol.
â€œThe aim was to give it concrete meaning and content. The traditions of our bilateral relations, which were founded long ago, continue. Azerbaijani President and I know each other for a long time. We have reached an agreement to activate Ukraine-Azerbaijan relations, give them content. We have extended the list of the issues, on which we can cooperate usefully in accordance with our national interests. They cover economic-commercial cooperation, joint activity at the international organizations. The range of the humanitarian relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, which have existed for centuries, is also wide,â€ he said.

Yanukovich said the sphere of fuel and energy held a special place in economic-commercial relations of the two countries. He said they had reached an agreement to set up a joint working group to prepare strategic agreement to be signed between Ukraine and Azerbaijan. According to the agreement, the volume of delivery of energy resources from Azerbaijan to Ukraine will be considerably increased. Yanukovich did not rule out the participation of the third countries, for example Russia and other Caspian state in this cooperation.
â€œWe will work out mechanisms on how this program will be implemented. The issue on the diversification of energy resources appears sharply on the agenda. We consider that Azerbaijan has large prospects to increase oil and gas production. We wish our friends to realize it soon,â€ he said.

Yanukovich underlined that the trade turnover between the countries would increase by times, not by percents.
â€œThis is the result of the bilateral work. Our task is to continue useful activity. Ukraine holds the second place as a commercial partner of Azerbaijan. Of course, we want to improve this result,â€ he said.

Azerbaijani President said the prospect of strengthening all-round cooperation was promising.
â€œWe reaffirmed our intention to strengthen political relations and consultations, support each other at the international organizations, actively cooperate in regional issues, especially in the integration of the Caspian-Black Sea basin,â€ he said.

Ilham Aliyev said they had discussed the issues on energy, fuel and energy complex.
â€œWe are witnessing concrete results in this field and hope the cooperation will extend. We are glad that the trade turnover is increasing between our countries. We should maximally use the potential of our economies, in order to give our activity concrete content and cooperate actively. There is a ground for it,â€ he said.