Italy can become Azerbaijan’s reliable partner not only in trade, but also in the development of industrialization programs, diversification of the economy and additional potential in the field of hydrocarbons, said Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan.
He made the remarks on July 19 during the Azerbaijani-Italian business forum held in Baku at the Heydar Aliyev Center. The forum was also attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The president noted that bilateral cooperation between Italy and Azerbaijan is developing at a high level, said Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who is an official visit to Azerbaijan.
“Visiting Azerbaijan at this time is very important for us, because not only friendly ties, but also bilateral cooperation between the two countries are developing at a high level. But we want to further develop these ties in the political, humanitarian and especially in the economic sphere,” said the Italian president.
“During the meetings held with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, we witnessed the positive and stable development of relations between our countries,” Mattarella added.
He noted that the economic sphere is the main part of relations between Italy and Azerbaijan.
“After regaining its independence 25 year ago, Azerbaijan passed through a social, economic period of development,” the Italian leader stressed.
Mattarella went on to say that he was impressed by the architectural development of Baku, the beauty of modern and ancient buildings in the city.
“This magnificent building, where the forum was organized and is named after late President Heydar Aliyev, is a clear example of this. This significant development process has aroused a great interest not only in Italy, but also throughout the world,” he said.
The president noted that the economies of Italy and Azerbaijan complement each other.
Mattarella emphasized that Italy can become Azerbaijan’s reliable partner not only in trade, but also in the development of industrialization programs, diversification of the economy and additional potential in the field of hydrocarbons.
“Diversification is one of the main goals of Azerbaijan. In order to support this, Italy can offer its experience, technologies and skills to Azerbaijan. As can be seen from the projects carried out in recent years by Italian companies, Italy has high legacy in the world in the energy sector, sphere of transportation of energy resources and chemical industry,” he said.
He pointed out that the contributed made to Azerbaijan’s oil industry by Italian facilities and technologies amounted to over 5 billion euros.
Mattarella recalled that yesterday he together with President Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration of a polypropylene plant in the city of Sumgayit.
“The plant was constructed under the project of Maire Tecnimont and SOCAR Polymer. This plant will enable Azerbaijan to develop its petrochemical industry and boost its export potential. This is a very important goal for the creation of new jobs and production areas which the Azerbaijani government considers a priority,” he said.
The president stated that Italy can also contribute to other spheres in Azerbaijan, except for energy.
“Italy stands ready to contribute to the development of Azerbaijan in the spheres of environmental protection, boosting of agriculture, transformation of processing industry, transport, logistics and construction. Some documents signed following yesterday’s officials talks with President Ilham Aliyev are aimed at this area. The establishment of an Italy-Azerbaijan design center within the framework of academic relations between the Polytechnic University of Milan and Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction is a model of bilateral cooperation that we hope to be realized in other areas,” he said.
Mattarella noted that the participation of Italian companies at the forum is the most obvious evidence of a great importance that the two countries attach to the development of bilateral cooperation in all areas of economy in order to further expand Italy-Azerbaijan relations by paying attention to small and medium-sized enterprises well-known in Italy.
“In 2017, Italy made a significant contribution to Azerbaijan through bilateral exchange and import of a large amount of hydrocarbons. Azerbaijan is our first oil supplier. We are proud to be the first trade partner of this country. All this is the worthy results which especially reflect extensive development in the field of Italian export, which is highly appreciated in Azerbaijan,” he said.
The Italian president also touched upon the areas of logistics, transport and infrastructure.
Hailing Azerbaijan’s positions as ‘strategically important’, Mattarella said that Azerbaijan should take advantage of it for a long time.
“Yesterday, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Italian State Railways and Azerbaijan Railways for use of existing routes, railway facilities, wagons, as well as development of new routes,” he added.
Stressing the successful activities of Italian enterprises for ports and infrastructures in the information area, the Italian president described Azerbaijan as a center of transport management in the Caspian region.
Azerbaijan that plays a strategically important role in the region can become ‘the main hero of a new page in the development of the economic potential of the Caspian Sea, Black Sea and the Mediterranean, emphasized Mattarella.
“We must build a bridge between our seas, using the potential of our historical friendship and partnership because it affects our present or future relationships,” he added.
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