Swiss envoy praises Azeri ties
Swiss Ambassador to Azerbaijan Alain Guidetti has
said the cooperation between Switzerland and the South Caucasus
republic has been rapidly expanding in the past years.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Guidetti particularly highlighted cultural relations. The Days of Azerbaijani Culture, which kicked off in Switzerland on October 16 in a ceremony attended by both countries’ presidents, will last until December 6. The activities include over 50 events in the large Swiss cities.
Touching on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Switzerland in October, the ambassador said this was a good opportunity both to confirm the high level of bilateral relations and to further expand them.
Guidetti said Swiss energy company EGL is keen on cooperating with resource-rich Azerbaijan in the energy sector.
"The company is closely involved in the project on transporting energy resources from the Caucasus to Europe through Turkey and, naturally, Switzerland takes tremendous interest in implementing this project, which is called the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)."
The 520-km (323-mile) pipeline will transport gas via Greece and Albania, across the Adriatic Sea to Italy's southern Puglia region, and further into Western Europe. The gas transport capacity of the pipeline will be around 10 bcm annually, with the option to expand to 20 bcm. TAP is expected to be operational at the earliest from 2011, depending on the gas shipment needs.
Regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, Guidetti said that, just like other problems, Bern supports a solution through peace and dialog.
"Forging and developing dialog between disputing and conflicting sides is part of Switzerland’s foreign policy. Switzerland is traditionally pursuing this policy. We believe that this is the best way out," the ambassador said.
Guidetti emphasized that his country plays the role of a mediator in establishing dialog between Georgia and Russia, Iran and the world community.
"At the same time, we are defending US interests in Iran. Switzerland believes that the solution of conflicts can be advanced by means of dialog and discussions."*
At a press conference on Tuesday, Guidetti particularly highlighted cultural relations. The Days of Azerbaijani Culture, which kicked off in Switzerland on October 16 in a ceremony attended by both countries’ presidents, will last until December 6. The activities include over 50 events in the large Swiss cities.
Touching on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Switzerland in October, the ambassador said this was a good opportunity both to confirm the high level of bilateral relations and to further expand them.
Guidetti said Swiss energy company EGL is keen on cooperating with resource-rich Azerbaijan in the energy sector.
"The company is closely involved in the project on transporting energy resources from the Caucasus to Europe through Turkey and, naturally, Switzerland takes tremendous interest in implementing this project, which is called the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)."
The 520-km (323-mile) pipeline will transport gas via Greece and Albania, across the Adriatic Sea to Italy's southern Puglia region, and further into Western Europe. The gas transport capacity of the pipeline will be around 10 bcm annually, with the option to expand to 20 bcm. TAP is expected to be operational at the earliest from 2011, depending on the gas shipment needs.
Regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, Guidetti said that, just like other problems, Bern supports a solution through peace and dialog.
"Forging and developing dialog between disputing and conflicting sides is part of Switzerland’s foreign policy. Switzerland is traditionally pursuing this policy. We believe that this is the best way out," the ambassador said.
Guidetti emphasized that his country plays the role of a mediator in establishing dialog between Georgia and Russia, Iran and the world community.
"At the same time, we are defending US interests in Iran. Switzerland believes that the solution of conflicts can be advanced by means of dialog and discussions."*
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