President Bush sent congratulations to Ilham Aliyev

The US Embassy in Azerbaijan Public Affairs Office has told APA that the USA President George Bush congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the opening of the Thirteenth International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference in Baku, APA reports.

President George Bush reminded his recent visit to Washington, the talks about the strategic partnership of the United States and Azerbaijan in energy, democracy and security with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

"I expressed my thanks for the vital leadership exercised by Azerbaijan in the creation of the East-West Energy Corridor. Now, as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline becomes fully operational and the South Caucasus gas pipeline prepares to come on-line this fall, Azerbaijan is emerging as a locomotive of regional economic growth and a provider of energy security for the Euroatlantic family.

With sustained leadership by Azerbaijan, we anticipate continued achievements on energy security in the immediate future. We look forward to cooperation among governments and private companies to accelerate natural gas production in Azerbaijan to satisfy Azerbaijan's domestic needs, help Georgia and the rest of Europe diversify their gas supplies, and clear the way for possible gas shipments from Central Asia to Europe. We also hope to see Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan agree on terms to ship oil produced in Kazakhstan via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

The United States will continue to work in partnership with you for the promotion of world energy security and the creation of a prosperous, peaceful and democratic future for Azerbaijan's people and this vital region."