Azerbaijan named reliable partner of Brazil
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijan and Brazil have hailed the development of cooperation between the two countries as Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov received Deputy Brazilian Foreign Minister for cooperation, culture and commerce Hadil Fontes da Rocha Vianna on October 1.
Khalafov welcomed the level of cooperation between the two countries, adding that there is great potential for further development of relations in the cultural, humanitarian and commercial fields, the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry said.
He also stressed the active co-operation within the framework of international organizations.
Vianna, who visits Azerbaijan for the second time, praised role of the embassies in the development of the bilateral relations.
He said despite the economic crisis, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Brazil has increased, noting that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of Brazil.
Khalafov also touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which emerged in 1988 over Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
Noting that this conflict is a serious threat to the region, Khalafov said Armenia didn't implement the resolution of the Security Council of the UN.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far
Khalafov also elaborated on the large-scale projects implemented in the region and stressed the role of these projects in the development of cooperation and increase of trade turnover.
Representatives of the countries also discussed other issues of mutual interest. Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Brazil were established in 1993. Brazilian Embassy in Azerbaijan was opened in June 2009. Azerbaijan's Embassy was established in Brazil in 2012.