Khazar Ibrahim: "Any external pressure on Azerbaijan in the issue of energy supply to the world markets is impossible"

- The program of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushenko's visit to Azerbaijan to be held on June 30 has been made public. As is known, the visit stipulates for a bilateral meeting between the President of Azerbaijan and Ukraine to exchange views on all aspects of bilateral ties. Can you elaborate on the issues to be discussed during the visit of the Ukrainian President to Azerbaijan?

- Frankly speaking, I do not have a detailed information about the issues to be discussed during the meeting between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Ukraine. I can only say that during the visit to our country President of Ukraine Viktor Yushenko will hold a number of meetings on the highest level to discuss a wide range of issues.

As is known, Azerbaijan and Ukraine are closely cooperation in the framework of GUAM and a number of other international organizations. In the result of the comprehensive and very close cooperation, Azerbaijan and Ukraine come out with single positions and support each other. We value such kinds of relations and are ready to expand them. The visit of Ukrainian President Yushenko to Azerbaijan will be another opportunity for taking steps in this direction.

- To an answer of the real diplomat I have to ask a question of a real journalist: will the issue of Odessa-Brody project implementation be discussed during Viktor Yushenko's visit to Azerbaijan?

- Energy cooperation between our countries has always been an important part of the relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine. In particular, our country has always provided serious energy assistant to Ukraine in difficult times. But I think it is early to say whether the issues of this project will be discussed.

- It is impossible to distance from the energy topic. Thus, for example, immediately following the visit of Ukranian President Viktor Yushenko to Azerbaijan, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will also arrive in our country, which will be his first official visit as a Russian President. Will Gazprom's purchase of Azerbaijani gas be discussed during the visit of the Russian President?

- We are glad to the forthcoming first visit of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to Azerbaijan. Naturally, a wide range of issues will be discussed during his visit, including in energy sphere. Azerbaijani-Russian cooperation is on the highest level and Azerbaijani side has repeatedly announced that energy sources supplies to the world market should be stable and mutually profitable.

- But you can not deny that Azerbaijan creates problem for Russia which tries to eventually monopolize the supply of energy sources to the Western markets and get political dividends from this "gas blackmail".

- Azerbaijan is not going to create problems either for Russia or any other country. We are just doing everything possible for hydrocarbons, supplied to world markets, to contribute to the development of our country both in the economic and political sense. On the other hand, we attempt to ensure energy security of these countries by the help of our energy sources.

- Isn't there a risk that Russia will take definite efforts to minimize or reduce to zero Azerbaijan's participation in ensuring world energy security?

- I do not think that such script is possible in the Azerbaijani-Russian relations, for as I have stated earlier, the current level of relations between our countries is quite high and bases on mutual trust. On the other hand, Azerbaijan conducts is absolutely independent energy policy and our country has already reached the level when any external pressure on it in the issue of energy security provision and supplies of our energy resources to the world markets is impossible.

/Day.Az/