Azerbaijan's honorary consulate appears in Catania

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan's honorary consulate in Sicily and Calabria regions was inaugurated in the Italian city of Catania on December 10.

The opening ceremony saw official representatives of Sicily and Calabria regions, representatives of accredited consulates general in the region, including honorary consuls of various countries, public figures, businessmen, and journalists.

Addressing the ceremony, Vice-Mayor of Catania Marco Consoli hailed the opening of Azerbaijan's honorary consulate in the city as a new stage in the development of relations between the region's economic and industrial center Catania and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Italy Vagif Sadigov described the opening of the honorary consulate as a remarkable event, highlighting the history of relations between the two countries.

The ambassador expressed confidence that the honorary consulate would contribute to the deepening of bilateral cooperation between the two states in all fields.

Sadigov expressed his gratitude to honorary consul Domenico Coco for supporting Azerbaijan in Italy.

Honorary Consul of Azerbaijan to Sicily and Calabria regions Domenico Coco, in turn, said he was honored to undertake this endeavor, noting he would spare no efforts to contribute to the development of cooperation in political, economic, cultural and a number of other areas between the two countries.

The event also heard speeches from president of the Italy-Azerbaijan Trade Institute (ITAZERCOM) Manuela Traldi, Honorary Consul of Azerbaijan to Malta Kristian Balzan, co-chair of Italy-Azerbaijan Cooperation and Friendship Society Dundar Kesapl? and others.

The country recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. Italy has maintained its first place in the list of foreign trade partners of Azerbaijan.

The report from Azerbaijani State Customs Committee for this January and October showed a trade turnover of $2.38 billion between the two states, accounting for 13.84 percent of the country’s total trade volume.

It mainly exports pipes for the oil sector, tobacco, leather and furniture to Azerbaijan.

Italy and Azerbaijan successfully cooperate in the energy field as well. The selection of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) by the Shah Deniz consortium is the basis of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.