Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan sign 6 agreements

The envisage cooperation in the sphere of labor and social security, changes to the agreement on major principles of oil and gas machine building, supplements to the agreement on free trade, an agreement on tourism, an agreement on combating terror, spread of drug and guns, as well as an agreement on strategic partnership and cooperation. The last document was inked by President Nazarbayev and Ilham Aliyev.

Aliyev and Nazarbayev gave a joint news conference. Noting the friendly relationships between the two countries, Aliyev said that the current relationships were the result of 10-year joint activities. "Our cooperation assumes special importance in the region in whole," Aliyev stated. He noted that the bilateral talks with the Kazakh president focused on the development of the bilateral economic relationships, opportunities for increase of goods turnover, as well as cooperation in the Caspian. Aliyev voiced his satisfaction with Nazarbayov's participation in the ceremony of commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi Ceyhan main export oil pipeline on Wednesday.

In his turn Nazarbayov noted the importance of upgrading the bilateral relations. Azerbaijan is a leader in the South Caucasus, while Kazakhstan in Central Asia, he stressed. Both countries are the major oil producers in the Caspian. It enables to set up better cooperation fighting terror, stability in the Caspian region and transportation of the Caspian energy resources to the world markets. "The Caspian divides us and the Caspian unites us," Nazarbayov stated.

In reply questions on cooperation in energy resources to the world markets, the Presidents noted the significant role of the two countries in this issue. The Kazakh President stressed his country will produce 100 million tons of oil a year in 2010, 150 million tons a year - in 2015. "Kazakhstan was always loyal to multi-branch oil export to word markets. Kazakhstan closely cooperates with Russia in this issue, builds oil pipeline towards China, considers opportunities for export to Iranian in the Persian direction and considers Azerbaijan as a major direction for oil export. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan MEP can be called hence as the Aktau-Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan. In his turn Aliyev also noted his loyalty to multi-vector oil export. "Kazakhstan is big oil producing country and cooperation in the transportation. As a friendly country Kazakhstan can always rely on our export potential in case of necessity," Aliyev underlined.

In reply to quetsion on opportunities for signing the document on consensus among 5 countries on the Caspian status, the Presidents noted that proximity in the standpoints of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in this issue. According to Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan and Russia reached principle agreement - determination via the middle line, recognition of the coastal water and open sea. However, Iran takes different standpoint in this respect. "We agreed upon arranging the next meeting of the heads of 5 littoral countries in Tehran. However, a concrete date is still to be defined. It will be more probably defined after the presidential elections in Iran," the Kazakh President said.

According to the Azerbaijani leader, the principles specified in the agreements between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia, and Russia and Kazakhstan could serve as basis in this respect. "However, the unsettlement of the Caspian status was not an obstacle for big investments in the region and establishment of the pipeline system," Aliyev underlined.