Trade turnover between Bucharest, Baku continues to increase
By Nigar Orujova
The trade turnover between Romania and Azerbaijan has been growing for three consecutive years, Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Daniel Cristian Ciobanu said at a reception on the National Day of Romania in Baku on December 1.
"Romanian exports to Azerbaijan increased for 3 years in a row and reached in 2014 the highest level since Azerbaijan became an independent state. We should wait for the end of this year but the figure for first ten months of 2015 is also very promising," the diplomat stressed.
Addressing the event, the Romanian ambassador spoke about this remarkable day in the history of his country.
"On this occasion Romania wishes to send a message of unity around the principles of dialogue, mutual understanding, confidence, respect for pluralism and diversity, values and principles which must be inherent to the international community we are all part of," he said.
The ambassador went on to add that International solidarity is confronted nowadays with major challenges, therefore Romania and Romanian diplomacy wish to reiterate their full involvement in finding the appropriate solutions and measures for the settlement of crisis situations.
"Anniversary of its National Day is a perfect occasion for Romania to reaffirm its commitment to the fight against international terrorism, as well as its concern and engagement in identifying adequate answers aimed at containing this phenomenon, regardless of the shapes it might take," he noted.
He added that the historical event of the Great Union, which took place in 1918, is now commemorated by Romanians worldwide as a symbol of the will of Romanian people.
Furthermore, he expressed appreciation for the excellent level of relations between Romania and Azerbaijan. "Romania has been the second country in the world which recognized independence of Azerbaijan."
"Azerbaijan is a strategic partner for Romania and cooperation between our countries is strongly developing in all fields," he noted.
Romania is interested in deepening economic ties with Azerbaijan through implementation of substantial projects, including attracting Azerbaijani investment to Romania and development of the AGRI project, the ambassador stressed.
Ciobanu highlighted the opportunities created at the regional level by the project of the transport corridor between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, using the advantages held out by the port of Constanta and the Danube river, for boosting the exchange of goods and increasing the volume of trade.
"Bucharest fully supports development and deepening of Azerbaijan’s cooperation with EU and NATO. In this context I would like to underline that the Embassy of Romania in Baku, which holds the mandate of NATO Contact Point Embassy for the fourth time in a row, pays constant attention to promotion of North Atlantic Alliance values and principles in Azerbaijan," he added.
In his turn, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev congratulated the Romanian Ambassador on the national holiday on behalf of Azerbaijani people.
He highlighted the historical ties between the two countries, as well as the commitment of the two countries in energy security. In this regard, the minister noted the implementation of joint projects in the energy sector.
Azerbaijan and Romania have a long history of relations dating back to the 15th century. Today, the two sides enjoy good cooperation in multiple areas, with the focus on trade and energy links.
Earlier, Ciobanu during his working visit to Shaki said Romania is interested in developing economic ties with Azerbaijan and pointed out that there are good prospects for boosting the exchange of goods and increasing the volume of trade at regional level.
Moreover, the head of the Romanian diplomatic mission presented the opportunities opened by the project of the transport corridor between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea for increased cooperation in trade.
However, despite the flourishing cooperation, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Romania stood at $132.17 million in ten months of this year, which is 0.96 percent less than in the same period in 2014.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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