Baku. Anakhanim Hidayatova – APA. Bulgarian ambassador to Azerbaijan Maya Khristova’s interview to APA.
- Tell us, please, about the possibilities for the expansion of the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria in the energy sphere and the projects which are being developed.
- We appreciate the decision of the consortium "Shah Denis II" to choose the "Nabucco West" project as one of the options for making deliveries to Central Europe. The decision on the location of the exact track of the pipeline will be taken in 2012. We are hopeful that they will choose the Bulgaria-Rumania-Hungary-Austria route, i.e., Nabucco West. We except with satisfaction the confirmation, given by the Azerbaijani side, that Bulgaria will be the first country to receive gas from Azerbaijan (1 billion cubic meters).
- In which spheres and how many agreements have been signed between the two countries so far and where could Bulgaria and Azerbaijan expect to see an extension of their mutual relations?
- During the last several years the relations between the two countries have seen some activation, although we must say that their volume is still unsatisfactory. Both countries posses a much larger potential for development than has so far been realized in the commercial and economic cooperation, in the cultural sphere and the bilateral dialog.
The dynamics of these relations have been boosted by the Bulgarian Prime minister's recent visit to Baku – 26th and 27th of April 2012. Azerbaijan was also visited by the Chairman of the National assembly, Tsetska Tsacheva. Forthcoming are the visits of the Minister of Justice of Azerbaijan, Fikrat Mammadov. An invitation for a visit to our country this year has been extended to the Minister of environment and natural resources of Azerbaijan, Hussein Bagirev.
Azerbaijan and Bulgaria signed more than 5 agreements over the last year: cooperation in the sphere of combating crime, memorandum of understanding between the State oil company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the "Bulgarian Energy Holding" EAD, memorandum of understanding between the Azerbaijan foundation for encouraging exports and investments (AZPROMO) and the Bulgarian Chamber of commerce and industry and A cooperation agreement between the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
- Comment, please, on the issue of cultural and humanitarian relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria
- The cultural relations between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan have a much greater potential for development that they currently enjoy. We are looking forward with great interest to the forthcoming "Days of the Azerbaijan culture in Bulgaria" which are to be held next year.
There is also a considerable, unused potential in the sphere of education, youth and science and the cooperation in this sphere is far below the level of our, otherwise, extremely good relations (the cooperation so far has been expressed in the exchange of youth delegations in 2010). We place considerable hopes on the forthcoming ratification of an Agreement for cooperation in the educational sphere between the Ministry of education, youth and science of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan (the text of the draft agreement is currently being discussed).
We hold the view that the Bulgarian educational institutions are able to teach a larger number of students from Azerbaijan (during the 2011 – 2012 terms their number was 18).
- What can Bulgaria do to attract more investors from Azerbaijan, including by planning to hold business forums in view of the need to improve the economic relations between the two countries?
- The possible areas for boosting up the future cooperation and increase in Bulgarian exports may be found in the sphere of delivery of goods from the food industry, wines, tobacco, cigarettes, non-alcoholic beverages, perfumery and cosmetics, medicaments, garments, furniture, ceramic products, sanitary equipment, construction materials, electronics and electrical appliances, food industry equipment, electrical motors, machines, hauling and transport vehicles.
- What are the main obstacles in the development of tourism relations?
- Regarding tourism, the lack of a regular air-line between Baku and Sofia is a considerable detriment to our bilateral economic and tourist relations. In 2011, the number of Azerbaijan citizens who visited Bulgaria was 1961 which is a drop by some 1.3% compared to the previous year. The total number of Bulgarian visits to this country in 2011 amounts to 194.
Azerbaijan may be able to deliver products from the oil and chemical industry, metals, agricultural products, cotton, vegetable oils, tea, tobacco, fruits and vegetables, juices, caviar, etc.
One positive precondition for the expansion of the economic relations will be the incorporation of Azerbaijan into the World Trade Organization.
- What is your position regarding the issue of Nagorno Karabakh?
- Together with our partners from the EU, we support the activity of the Minsk group of the OSCE. As we see it this mechanism and the possibility it suggests does have the capacity to help the two countries find a lasting solution to the conflict as well as that the group should retain its status of a basic international forum in the course of the negotiations that are being held. We believe that the constructive dialog between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia – Ilham Aliev and Serge Sargsyan – will help the process of achieving an agreement on the basic principles for the peaceful solution of the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. Bulgaria holds the view, that in order to find a lasting solution to the conflict, the two countries should move in the direction of building a sense of confidence and a change in the understanding of the other country as an "enemy" and to reach a point where it will be understood that the peaceful solution to the conflict has no alternative. We believe that the solution of the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh is a vital precondition for the economic recovery of the region. This peaceful solution of the conflict will bring to the successful realization of the regional initiatives for security and cooperation and for turning Southern Caucasus in a zone of stability and prosperity. In this connection we believe that the two countries should refrain from making extremely emotional politic statements, which could additionally strain tensions between the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan and create preconditions for the intensification of this regional conflict.
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