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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Motome Takisawa on August 30, Azertac reported.

The head of state expressed hope that Takisawa’s visit to the country will create a good opportunity for close familiarization with Azerbaijan and further strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries.

Noting that the two countries have been cooperating successfully for over twenty years, President Aliyev stressed that these relations cover many spheres.

Pointing to strong political ties between the two countries, the head of state said that many Japanese companies were involved in various projects in Azerbaijan, and that there were good prospects for relations between business circles.

“Our relations are multifaceted,” President Aliyev said, expressing confidence that the cooperation will be developed and strengthened in the future. He also stressed the importance of this visit in terms of identifying ways of further development of relations.

During the conversation, they noted that there were favorable conditions for elevating the economic relations between the two countries to a new level, and exchanged views on cooperation in the fields of oil and gas, high technologies, agriculture, pharmaceuticals industry, and education.

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to its relations with Japan, which the countries developed very successfully after Azerbaijan became independent in 1991.

Economic cooperation between the two countries plays an important role in the development of the relations based on mutual respect, interest and friendship. Japan was one of the first countries to support Azerbaijan's forward-looking oil strategy.

On the same day, President Aliyev received Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adel.

The sides discussed gas and energy market tendencies, as well as Azerbaijan’s cooperation with the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and ways of increasing efficiency of gas exports.

Mohammad Hossein Adeli recalled his previous meeting with the Azerbaijani president. He highlighted Azerbaijan’s gaining an observer status in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.

The secretary general said Bolivia will host a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum next year, and invited Azerbaijan to this event.

President Aliyev, for his part, said recent years marked important events in Azerbaijan’s energy sector, including in exploitation of oil fields. The head of state emphasized that work is successfully underway in the Shahdeniz-2 project, adding that Azerbaijan’s gas production will record considerable growth in the coming years.

President Aliyev further said that gas production within the Absheron project is expected to start in the near future, noting that this will allow Azerbaijan to considerably increase its gas export opportunities.

The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) is an international governmental organization which provides the framework for exchanging experience and information among Member Countries. GECF is a gathering of the world’s leading gas producers and was set up as international governmental organization with the objective to increase the level of coordination and strengthen the collaboration among Member countries.

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