Romanian Foreign Minister to visit Azerbaijan

Reminding the 2004 visit of the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev to Romania, Romanian ambassador, Nikolai Ureke told Trend that Romanian president, Trayan Basesku will pay a return visit to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani parliament speaker has already received an invitation to visit Romania, Ureke said. Romanian foreign minister will also soon visit Azerbaijan.

"Efforts were made by the both sides to bring this visit into life in the most appropriate time," he said. Active contacts between the two countries prove the growth of political cooperation between Azerbaijan and Romania.

The ambassador has described relations between Azerbaijan and Romania as perfect ones.

"Political contacts of our two countries are at the highest level, which can be seen from the intensive contacts of our officials at different levels," Ureke said.

Considering economic relations, the ambassador expressed his concern that they did not yet reach the intensity of political relations. Commodity circulation level between Azerbaijan and Romania reached $125m in 2005, 90% of it -is oil imports from Azerbaijan to Romania. According to Ureke, economic relations can not remain only within the oil sector they have to develop in other industries as well.

Intensification of the bilateral contacts can be achieved by the cooperation in business, he noted. Considering the fact that contact of this sort already took place last year during the visit of the delegation of Romanian businessmen to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan businessmen will pay a return visit this May-June to further develop economic ties.

There is a potential to develop economic relations in the building sector, food and textile industry, he said. These sectors were the first ones for the development of business relations, the ambassador has reminded.

He also said about the future plans of the Romanian businessmen to build a furniture factory in Azerbaijan and possibly develop cannery production.

Ureke has also mentioned about the Romanian position towards GUAM and Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution.

Romania still has the high interest to GUAM and due to its geographical position has good relations with Moldova and Ukraine, and now is in the process of developing ties with Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Romania is continuously invited to participate at the GUAM meetings.

However, at this stage Romania would like to participate in GUAM only as an observer. Though, now it is not possible due to the fact that GUAM does not have such legal status.

Considering the Romanian position towards the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Ureke said, that his country follows the peaceful regulation with the frames of the OSCE Minsk group with the respect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

"Romanian point of view is that such conflicts endanger stability in the region."

He also cited existing concept of the Romanian security, which states that old conflicts in the region may as well endanger the Romanian security.

"That is one of the reasons why Romania interested in the peaceful resolution of this conflict," he concluded.