Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Japanese companies are interested in investing in the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan, Japan's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Tsuguo Takahashi said on February 20.

He made the statement in a meeting with Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister as well as Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov.

Takahashi further said Japanese companies are actively involved in the development of oil fields and pipelines of Azerbaijan. The ambassador expressed his confidence that Japan and Azerbaijan would continue to develop political, economic and humanitarian ties.

Hasanov, in turn, said that Japan and Azerbaijan lifted bilateral ties to a higher level, describing Japan and Azerbaijan as 'friendly' countries. He also expressed his confidence that this cooperation will continue to develop successfully.

Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hasanov said Armenia's aggression forced over 1 million people from their homes and resulted in occupation of 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands.

"The occupied lands are currently used for drug trafficking and cultivating. The lands are considered as a transnational crime zone," he said.

Hasanov pointed out that President Aliyev's policy enabled Azerbaijan to gain more international backing to its fair position, adding that this dispute has not been solved yet because of the non-constructive stance of Armenia, which disregards resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict adopted by reputable international organizations.

Deputy Prime Minister also briefed the ambassador on the measures to improve social and housing problems of refugees and IDPs put in place in the country under Azerbaijani President and with the assistance of international organizations. He emphasized the role of international humanitarian aid, loans, Japan's technical cooperation and grant projects in making living conditions of IDPs and refugees better.

Takahashi, in turn, said despite the hard period Azerbaijan went through in 1991, the country managed to achieve rapid economic expansion thanks to the effective use of energy resources, adding that the country is becoming stronger not only economically, but also politically given its tenure a member of the UN Security Council.

The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Japan were established in 1992.

Relations between the two countries continue developing. Japan was one of the first countries to support Azerbaijan's forward-looking oil strategy. Today two major Japanese companies Itochu and Impex are involved in the Contract of the Century. Leaders of Japanese business, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Marubeni, and Sojits are involved in the energy and infrastructure projects in the country.