Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Simon McDonald, United Kingdom’s Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is on a visit to Baku in connection with the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Great Britain.

During his first visit to the country, the British diplomat held meetings with a number of officials, including the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan. He also delivered a lecture at the University of ADA, talking about "Brexit" and the consequences of this step for the UK.

Receiving McDonald, President Ilham Aliyev said the diplomat’s visit to Azerbaijan created a good opportunity for discussing cooperation and regional issues between the two countries.

The head of state said the agenda of cooperation issues is very comprehensive, pointing out the expansion of the bilateral relations. President Aliyev said the two countries enjoy very good relations in energy area, adding that Azerbaijan-BP cooperation spans over 25 years, describing BP as the main strategic partner of Azerbaijan in the field of energy.

President Aliyev said British companies have become more interested in Azerbaijan`s non-oil sector recently, adding that this is in line with Azerbaijan`s economic diversification policy and will enhance business relations between the two countries.

In turn, McDonald said a lot of British companies invest in Azerbaijan under agreements signed between the two countries.

The reforms carried out in Azerbaijan in recent years, attention to education, measures to reduce unemployment and poverty and address social issues in Azerbaijan were highlighted at the meeting.

They discussed the impact of the fall in oil prices on the speed-up of diversification, Azerbaijan`s international standing and the country`s rating by international organizations.

Addressing the students, McDonald touched upon Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, that dates back to the late 1980s.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

The UK stands for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said McDonald.

“The world is changing. So much time has passed since the beginning of the conflict. The attention of the international community has already shifted from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he said. .

The diplomat stressed that official London accentuates attention on the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"We believe that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be achieved by negotiations and only by peaceful means," McDonald noted.

McDonald said that Britain's withdrawal from the European Union will not affect the British policy in the South Caucasus and will not spoil relations with each of the three countries of the region.

“I do not think any significant changes are expected. The UK has built strong bilateral relations with all three countries of the South Caucasus. With Azerbaijan we have especially close commercial interests, since the interests of a large British company BP that is represented here,” he said.

After the withdrawal from the EU, the UK theoretically has the opportunity to review its relations with partner countries, stressed McDonald, adding that he expects no major change in this part of the world.

The diplomat said that after Brexit, the UK has an opportunity to find new ways of renewing ties with partners outside Europe and as an important element in the successful continuation of development, he sees in British pragmatism.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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