Baku, Berlin call for expansion of ties
By Sara Rajabova
The leading countries of the South Caucasus and Europe - Azerbaijan and Germany- have highlighted the expansion of bilateral cooperation in various fields during the German foreign minister's visit to Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev received Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany on October 23.
Aliyev said Steinmeier`s visit was a good opportunity for discussing the issues related to the development of bilateral relations in political, economic, security and other areas, and also for defining future work. He added that cooperation between the two countries covered a wide range of areas.
Steinmeier, for his part, recalled with pleasure his last visit to Azerbaijan, saying he witnessed a great development in Baku since that trip. He said there were good opportunities for expanding Azerbaijani-German cooperation in various fields, including education, healthcare and information and communications technologies.
The discussion on development of ties between Azerbaijan and Germany further continued during Azerbaijani foreign minister's meeting with his German counterpart.
Elmar Mammadyarov expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between the countries in political, economic, humanitarian, scientific and educational felds. Noting that trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Germany is close to three billion dollars, Mammadyarov emphasized the importance of further strengthening cooperation in the non-oil sector.
Steinmeier said his country attaches great importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan. He noted that there is favorable ground for further strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
Following the meeting, Steinmeier said at a briefing that Germany is looking forward to the results of the upcoming meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Paris in late October.
The minister said he held meetings with the leaders and representatives of Azerbaijan's civil society and discussed the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Germany is extremely concerned about the tensions on the contact line of the armies and closely watches the situation, wishing an immediate settlement of the conflict," Steinmeier added.
Tensions along the frontline were aggravated in mid-summer as Armenian armed forces attacked Azerbaijani positions. Sporadic fighting has continued ever since. Fourteen Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and several others injured during the clashes between two sides. Armenia hadn't released the exact number of its casualties.
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 caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions demanding Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.
Steinmeier further said Azerbaijan holds an important place in Germany's foreign policy, as it also ensures Europe's energy independence.
"The purpose of my visit to Azerbaijan is to promote the development of bilateral relations," Steinmeier added.
He also added that currently the trade relations between the two countries are standing at a high level, adding that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Germany was near $3 billion in 2013.
Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Germany were established in February 1992. Germany is fourth among Azerbaijan's foreign trade partners.
There are over 100 German companies in Azerbaijan. German companies have also acted as contractors in 10 investment projects worth more than 460 million euros.