Economy cooperation with Spain to expand
By Leman Mammadova
New dynamics are expected to appear in the relations between Azerbaijan and Spain.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain.
The document was signed by Ramiz Hasanov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, and his Spanish counterpart Fernando Martin Valenzuela Marzo based on Azerbaijani-Spanish political consultations held in Baku.
During the meeting, Hasanov pointed to the large potential of cooperation in the fields of economy, tourism, education, energy, agroindustrial complex, alternative and renewable energy.
The deputy minister also stressed the need to agree as soon as possible on the draft agreements that are under the parties’ consideration.
Hasanov also stressed the importance of expanding the legal framework to strengthen cooperation in priority areas.
He further gave detailed information about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stressed the importance of increasing the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and the international community to resolve the conflict peacefully through the norms and principles of international law within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.
Hasanov also noted that Armenia's non-constructive position seriously undermines the negotiation process.
In turn, Marzo expressed satisfaction with the level of political relations between Azerbaijan and Spain.
Marzo also confirmed the large potential for cooperation in the economic sphere, and noted wide opportunities for the activities of Spanish companies in Azerbaijan.
He expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan for its support on the territorial integrity of Spain on the Catalonia issue, emphasizing that Spain supports the peaceful resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. "Spain supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan", said Marzo.
It should be noted that Spain recognized Azerbaijan's independence in December 1991. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on February 11, 1992.
There is a complete mutual understanding in the political sphere and relations are increasingly intensive. The relations in economic sphere have started to expand in recent years.
The opening of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Spain in 2007 and the Spanish Embassy in Azerbaijan in 2014 played a crucial role in the development of relations between the two countries in the fields of trade and tourism.
It’s noteworthy that Spanish company Enagas holds 16 percent share in the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Europe.
There are also great prospects between the two countries particularly in the field of non-oil sector. Steps have been taken to increase the people-to-people contacts, expand legal-treaty base to open up new prospects for the promotion of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Spain.
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Leman Mammadova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888
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