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Greek ambassador to Azerbaijan: â€œSome parts of the Cyprus and Karabakh problems are similar and some - not similarâ€

25 February 2009 16:04 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova â€“APA. Greek ambassador to Azerbaijan Ioannis Metaxas held press conference on the results of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevâ€™s visit to his country. The diplomat appreciated this visit as an important step in the development of relations between the two countries. â€œThis was the first official visit of Azerbaijani president to Greece and can be valued as a historic visitâ€.
Metaxas said four documents were signed during the visit and the documents signed for lifting of double taxes and developing of air lines cooperation would play basic role in the economic field and the document signed between the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Azerbaijan and Ministry of Economic Development of Greece would be a basis for the cooperation in the restored energy field. The ambassador said Greece made proposal in the field of military cooperation in 2003, which was in force so far. He said there was cooperation in this field even without treaty and Azerbaijani officers have attended trainings in Greece within the NATO Program of Partnership for Peace recently. Answering the question about the volume of trade turnover between the two countries, the ambassador said this figure didnâ€™t meet the existing potential, but he hoped that the business forum attended by the presidents of both countries would promote the increase of trade turnover. The diplomat said his country purchased the natural gas not directly from Azerbaijan, but via Turkey. â€œThe direct transportation of the natural gas from Azerbaijan is one of our prioritiesâ€. The ambassador said Greece proposed to purchase one billion cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan last year and Athens intended to increase it to three billion cubic meters a year.
Answering the question about the Cyprus problem, Metaxas appreciated the Azerbaijanâ€™s principal position on this issue. The ambassador said some part of the Cyprus and Nagorno Karabakh problems are similar and some parts â€“ not similar. â€œBoth issues have to be addressed in a peaceful wayâ€, said the ambassador.