Azerbaijan: Donald Tusk & President Ilham Aliyev on gas cooperation/Nagorno-Karabakh/human rights...

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• published: 02 Aug 2015
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EN - Press conference by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, on gas cooperation & Southern gas corridor, Armenia & Nagorno-Karabakh, human rights, new railroad & "new Silk Route", visas ... - 22.07.2015 - Baku, Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev: "We discussed today the issues of regional security particularly: Armenia-Azerbaijan-Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the ways how to resolve this conflict. (...) The conflict has lasted for more than 2 decades. Internationally recognised part of Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 other districts of Azerbaijan have been under Armenian occupation for more than 20 years. UN Security Council adopted 4 resolutions demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from our territories, but they are not implemented. (...) A million of Azerbaijanis are victims of these aggressions, they became IDPs and refugees, and our people were subject of ethnic cleansing from Armenia. (...) We discussed our economic cooperation, and we are very glad that Europe is our main trading partner: almost half of our foreign trade is with member states of EU ; and that European countries are our main investors, also about 50% of the foreign investments come from EU. And there is a good potential to develop this economic cooperation through investments and other forms of economic activity. (...) We are now, together with our neighbours, in the phase of completion of the railroad which connects Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey, and thus connects Europe and Asia, this will be a new Silk Route, which will increase the volumes of mutual trade between Europe and Asia, and Azerbaijan as transit country will play its important role. Also of course we discussed today the issues related to energy security, and we are good partners with Europe, and the Southern Gas Corridor project, which was launched last September in Baku, already is in the active phase of implementation. Azerbaijan initiated this project and is actively working together with partners, neighbouring countries and investors to implement the project on time. We have huge gas reserves, proven reserves are about 2.6 trillion cubic meters, Shah Deniz gas field, which is so far the only resource base for Southern gas corridor contains more than 1 trillion cubic meters of gas, so our reserves will be enough to supply European consumers with natural gas for decades ahead. Southern gas corridor is a project which unites countries, and which is to the benefit of producers, transitors and consumers, and I think we found the right balance between these 3 segments of this energy project (...). This is a project of energy security today, and energy security cannot be separated from national security of the countries, and this is a project of energy diversification (...) of routes (...) of supply sources. (...) We discussed also the regional security issues in the broader region of Caspian and Middle-East, Central Asia ; also we have a good potential of cooperation in the area of culture, in the humanitarian area, issues related to religious tolerance, inter-religious dialogue are very actively addressed here in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan is known already as one of the international centres of multiculturalism. (...)" Donald Tusk: "Azerbaijan is our reliable and strategic partner in the energy field, and we want to take this partnership further. One aim of the Energy Union is to exclude the possibility of using gas as a threat. The conflict in Ukraine shows that such threats are still possible. This is why the EU is dedicated to diversifying our supplies, and Azerbaijan is a main partner in this endeavour. Today we agreed to stand united on developing the Southern gas corridor, a project which is in our common strategic interest, and to make sure it is completed on time, whatever our competitors do. For Europe, it is a question of diversifying supply, for Azerbaijan it is a question of diversifying demand. Azerbaijan has the potential to become one of the EU's major commercial partners in the region. The EU is already Azerbaijan's main trade partner and one of its most important investors. We will expand this commercial relation further in the coming years. I recalled that good governance and Rule of Law are important for creating a favourable commercial and investment climate. The EU stands ready to assist here if needed. (...) We have discussed how best to move our relationship forward through an ambitious new bilateral agreement. (...) I stressed the importance we attach to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. (...) I have discussed with the President our concerns with the detention of Human Rights defenders here and our hope that prompt action will be taken on the individual cases. We will continue to discuss this issue often. (...)" (3 more minutes) Q&A; © Frédérick Moulin 2015 - EU2015 - Council - All rights reserved.