Day.Az interview with the state secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania Stejarel Olaru

- Mr. Olaru, how would you describe the current state of relations between Romania and Azerbaijan?

I consider that Romania and Azerbaijan have excellent relations, driven by the common interest of strengthening the cooperation in all the sectors - political, economic, and cultural. The relations between our two countries have been gaining consistence over the last years, after they have been raised to the status of a strategic partnership. And Azerbaijan is the only country in the region to which Romania is linked at this level. It is equally a token of appreciation for the relations of friendship between our countries and a sign of the mutual interests in developing economic dynamic ties, highlighting also the trust towards Azerbaijan as a valuable partner of NATO and the EU.

In 2009, President Ilham Aliyev signed in Bucharest the Declaration regarding the establishment of a strategic partnership between Romania and Azerbaijan. The document identifies key sectors such as political dialogue, energy cooperation, economic ties and investing opportunities, security cooperation, cultural projects and cooperation within international organizations. This framework gives Baku and Bucharest ample and flexible possibility of cooperation on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues.

In my opinion, a strategic partnership is a challenge in a globalized world. I believe Azerbaijan will find in Romania many investment possibilities and partners in taking the relationship to the next level. We are focusing on strengthening the competitiveness of our industrial sectors (heavy machines, chemical industry) and we are welcoming foreign investments and participation in these branches.

Even if our excellent political relations are not yet backed by strong economic ties, we are working on identifying opportunities for developing the economic cooperation between Romania and Azerbaijan. The next level of our relationship, the one which could prove to be very dynamic and fruitful, is the economic dimension and we can accomplish many things together. Serious bilateral economic projects are still missing and we should address this question as soon as possible.

- How would you estimate Azerbaijan’s policy in the region?

Azerbaijan’s location is both a challenge and an advantage. A quick look at the map of the South Caucasus and we can see that this region is a natural connector between Europe and Asia. This makes Azerbaijan a significant trade and energy hub, a point where resources meet business, a region where states take their major foreign and energy policy decisions, too. Azerbaijan is a country with which states and international organizations are interested in working with. In addition to that, you have regional neighbors such as Turkey and Russia and actors such as the United States, the European Union and NATO - all of them interested in the developments in this region.

That is the starting point for your foreign policy. The Azeri leadership takes into account all these factors and several others in its effort to design and implement a foreign policy with practical solutions. To use a metaphor, I am sure it is not very easy to be in Azerbaijan’s place, but I can be equally sure this must be a rewarding position, too.

I think Azerbaijan has a balanced and pragmatic foreign policy, keeping open as many doors as possible and interacting on many levels. That means Azerbaijan will probably be interested to continue working with the European Union and with European partners. It will continue to work with Russian and the United States, to maintain special ties with Turkey, to discuss with Iran or Israel. From this interesting enumeration, anyone can understand the span of Azeri foreign policy, which has to deal with numerous issues and stakes.


- Would be better to hear your opinion about Azerbaijan’s role in the energy security of Europe?

Europe is an energy-consuming continent, with an expanding market and with a high degree of modernization and technology diversity. To sustain such a necessary energy intake, Europe must address the question of its energy sources. Azerbaijan holds promise to be a very reliable source of energy, an energy pillar for the EU. If other energy options are not so secure, I believe Azerbaijan is a solid partner for Europe and I see positive evolutions in the future, in this field. Furthermore, Azerbaijan is not far from the EU’s Eastern border (Romania) and it has been included in the EU’s plans for further cooperation.


- How do you imagine European integration prospects of Azerbaijan?

The Eastern Partnership is an EU important instrument for supporting the efforts of the partner countries (R. Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine) to connect to the European identity and values. Since 2008, the Eastern Partnership (EaP) of the European Union underlines the readiness of the EU to deepen cooperation with its partners from its Eastern neighborhood. Its end results are the political association and economic integration with the EU, to a degree that corresponds to the individual ambition of each partner state. It builds considerably on the principle of differentiation, where the main input is provided by the pace and commitment to reforms by each partner state. We welcomed resuming the negotiation with Azerbaijan on the Association Agreement and the signature of the EU-Azerbaijan Agreements on Readmission and Visa Facilitation. All these steps are meant to give concrete proof of the EU commitment and support towards the EaP partner countries.

Furthermore, in the case of Azerbaijan, figures speak for themselves for the nature of this relationship. The EU is the main trade partner of Azerbaijan, with European investments in the oil and gas sector. Therefore, most likely, the future relation and contractual framework of the EU-Azerbaijan relations will be shaped around those priorities of cooperation shared by both partners.

- By the way, would like to touch upon the topic on eurointegration of the another member of the "Eastern partnership" - Moldova. Not long ago, Moldovan government announced that joining Romania will facilitate Moldova's integration to EU. Do you believe that Romania and Moldova could one day be a common state?

The Republic of Moldova is a topic raising great interest and emotion in Romania. There is a great diversity of public views on the matter, depending on the way you choose to approach it. Historically, the current territory of the Republic of Moldova had once been part of Romania. Spiritually - we belong to the same culture, we share the same language and traditions. The people-to-people contacts, including the family ties, are the strongest we have with any other country.

Politically, Romania has been the first country to recognize the independence of the Republic of Moldova, in August 1991. Since then, the relations with the Republic of Moldova have been a major priority for all consecutive Romanian Governments. Our policy towards Chisinau has always been guided by the same principle: to assist in any way possible to bringing the Republic of Moldova back into Europe. This is, for the present time, our joint objective, in application of the Strategic Partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, set up between our countries in 2010.

We have been the strongest, most vocal supporters of the authorities in Chisinau in their European integration process and we are of course delighted with the progress made in this respect. This has been acknowledged at the Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2013, when the EU-Republic of Moldova Association Agreement was initialled. We will continue to do our best in assisting our partners in Chisinau on their journey towards the ultimate goal – the European integration.

I can tell you there is a huge desire of younger generations in the Republic of Moldova that their country joins the EU. In my capacity of secretary of state, in charge with the policies for the Romanians abroad, I had the chance to meet many young Romanians all over the globe. I can tell you that youngsters in the Republic of Moldova, which are the future elites of the country, are keenly interested in the European future of their country. They are informed, connected, willing to adjust and to make the necessary changes in their lives, so that they can be once again part of the democratic and prosperous European family.

- Would like to return to Azerbaijan and talk on its major problem - Karabakh problem. What role, to your mind, can Europeans play in settling the Karabakh problem?

I think Europe has a saying in this matter. The Minsk Group set up at the level of the Organization for Security in Cooperation in Europe has been entrusted with facilitating efforts aiming at finding a peaceful solution to the Karabakh problem. This is not an easy issue to solve out, but European states have been involved in this process. Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey are among the members of the Minsk Group. Some of these states have a special interest in the development of the Eastern Partnership and they would like to see that the EU’s Eastern neighborhood has as few unsettled disputes as possible.

The European security environment is very sensitive to evolutions in neighbouring regions like the Middle East and North Africa or the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Therefore, I think the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will continue their efforts in the direction of “bringing more peace”, but they would also have to benefit from the support and willingness of all parties involved in such processes.

Romania supports firmly the peaceful settlement of the protracted conflicts, based on international law, particularly with respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the states challenged with these conflicts. On the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the OSCE Minsk Group is the international body in charge of facilitating the resolution to the conflict on Nagorno-Karabakh. Certainly, this outcome requires political will and constructive engagement in order to overcome all tensions