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Congratulatory messages by Israeli, Greek and Russian ambassadors to Azerbaijan

18 October 2011 12:45 (UTC +04:00)

The Israeli Ambassador congratulates the people of Azerbaijan for the 20th anniversary of independence. â€œMany tend to forget that 20 years are only two decadesâ€¦.people forget that Azerbaijan is indeed a very young country which still faces serious challenges, I would even dare saying, very serious challenges. One should not compare the realities in Azerbaijan with those in countries which enjoy long and extended periods of tranquility. Judged against this reality and more so, against the wishes, aims, goals and policies of Azerbaijan leadership as well as its achievements so far, I have nothing but to praise these all!
Azerbaijan successfully diverts its earnings from the energy sector into SOFAZ and into development projects, has taken wise strategic decisions regarding its energy export, works hard on the development of its infrastructure, supports and encourages culture and sports, maintains its tradition on religious tolerance, recognizes the importance of the education sector and aims at a balanced foreign policy. Achieving all these, amidst non minor security challenges is an achievement by itself.
Israel and Azerbaijan will mark 20 years of diplomatic relations next year. Much has been written and said about these relations. Personally I believe that content rather then titles is what counts and hence will allow the independent observer understand and appreciate the unique, profound and intimate caricature of these relations. Our bilateral relations are a reflection of the interest of the leaderships, the will of the people, historical links between Jews and Azerbaijanis, economic motivations and common views of political realities. I am watching with satisfaction the developments of these relations and am confident that the future holds an even greater strengthening and expansion of these relations.
â€ The most important for Azerbaijan is to smoothly integrate to the great family of the European nations, to which it belongsâ€,- says Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan Ioannis Metaxas in his statement for APA on the occasion of Independence of Azerbaijan. Greek Ambassador congratulates the people of Azerbaijan for the 20th anniversary from the restoration of its independence. â€œTwenty years is a very short period for the establishment of a state. During this period, Azerbaijan did a long way from a remote and unknown soviet republic to a modern and powerful state, which next year will organize the Eurovision song contest. Of course, a lot remains to be done. In this respect, I believe that your country has the capacities and will to go onwards. The most important for Azerbaijan is to smoothly integrate to the great family of the European nations, to which it belongs.
Next year we will celebrate 20 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. The Greek Embassy in Baku was our first Embassy, after the Embassy in Moscow, to start its operation in 1993 at one the countries that emerged from the Soviet Union. In 2004 the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Athens started its operation as well. A lot of bilateral agreements are already in force. Azerbaijanis learn the Greek language at the Baku Slavic University. Other Azerbaijanis have training courses in Greece. My country stands ready to implement the projects Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) and Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which might bring Azerbaijani gas to Europe. Nobody could foresee twenty years ago that both our countries would be today so close. I hope that our relations have a bright future and I trust that both governments are committed to further promote our bilateral cooperation in a lot of new sectorsâ€.

â€œAs the Ambassador of Russia to Azerbaijan itâ€™s an honor and great pleasure to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Azerbaijanis on occasion of the 20th anniversary of independence of Azerbaijanâ€,- says Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin.
â€We all rejoice the successes which the country has achieved over the short 20 years. All these years, demonstrates the dynamic development of Azerbaijan as an independent republic. The country significantly strengthened its international position in the region and the worldâ€.
â€Two and a half year tenure as Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, gave me the opportunity to participate directly in efforts to deepen the strategic partnership, which became an important factor of stability and security in the Caucasus and Caspian region. I am sure that our relationship has a good future. The implementation of agreements in various fields will contribute to further development of Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation in the interests of our countries and peoplesâ€.