Azerbaijan-Qatar relations are based on shared spiritual, religious and cultural roots: Qatari ambassador

Trend News: How do you assess the level of Qatar-Azerbaijan relations? How should relations be expanded between the two countries?

Al Thani: Please let me first to congratulate you on the Gurban holiday and New Year and thank you for your interest in the Arab world and particularly Qatar.

Regarding Qatar-Azerbaijan relations, they are based on shared spiritual, religious and cultural roots. These ties began to widely develop with the emergence of the Azerbaijani independent republic, as Qatar was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan's independence.

Diplomatic ties between our countries were established 15 years ago.

To celebrate the anniversary of this occasion, His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani, and the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister sent Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov a congratulatory letter two months ago.

During this period, political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries have been developed under the patronage of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Their mutual visits provide a solid foundation for cooperation. The sides have signed agreements covering various spheres of life and opened embassies in both countries. Days of Qatari Culture were held in Baku in 2008, and were the embodiment of this rapprochement. A 70-man Qatari delegation headed by our deputy culture minister also visited Baku. In 2010, Doha will host Azerbaijani Cultural Days. Such a festival promotes the convergence of the two peoples and strengthens fraternal ties.

At what level are Qatar-Azerbaijan economic ties - particularly trade volume. Which areas have potential for expansion?

Speaking about bilateral economic relations, I will stress that they have not reached the level achieved in the political sphere. This has a number of objective reasons. Oil and gas comprises the economy our respective countries. Add to that the geographical remoteness and the financial crisis that canceled the construction of a number of international facilities...

We have already established legal grounds for economic cooperation, signed agreements on economic, trade and technical cooperation, and maintained patronage investment. Qatar is one of the best places in the world thanks to its gas reserves. The proven reserves are estimated at 10 trillion cubic meters.

According to the international economic organizations in the past six years, the country's gas production increased 300 percent. Qatar entered a list together with Luxembourg and Norway for the highest GDP volume per capita. But the Qatari emir's wise policy is based not only on hydrocarbon reserves, but also on other sectors of the economy and versatility.

Therefore, there is a great possibility for constructive cooperation in various fields. For example, Azerbaijani experts are working in the Qatari energy, healthcare and trade sectors. Moreover, Azerbaijani students receive their education in our educational institutions.

I believe representatives of official and business circles should make more mutual visits to implement treaties.

Is Qatar interested in transporting its gas via Nabucco and what are the chances of the country joining the project?

The Qatari emir's Turkey visit in September and his talks with the PM related to Nabucco aroused great interest in the countries of the region. The desire of Qatar, which ranks third in the world in terms of gas reserves, to engage in a dialogue related to Nabucco has attracted interest from professionals who think Qatari gas will help the project. It is known that Qatar, Russia and Iran have 55 percent of the gas reserves in the world. Last year, they agreed on the establishment of country associations exporting gas OPEC-style.

Therefore, their reaction to Qatar's accession to the project is attracting interest. But neither of the officials expressed an opinion in this regard. It is clear that this project is a successful step and has great potential for implementation.

In conclusion, I wish the friendly Azerbaijani people development, peace and prosperity.

/Trend News/