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Estonia and Azerbaijan are linked by common interests including stability and peace in the South Caucasus to comprehensive European energy security, as well as the development of political, economic, and cultural cooperation between the two countries, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said as he welcomed Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday.
Hosting President Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who arrived in Estonia for a state visit, Ilves said Azerbaijan, as a leading country in the Caspian Sea region, is an important partner for the European Union both economically and politically. "The member states of the EU, in turn, can share with you their experiences to ensure that the reforms introduced in Azerbaijan will be successful," the Estonian leader said, according to his website.
President Ilves noted that as an EU member, Estonia supports and encourages Azerbaijan to join the World Trade Organization as the achievement of such an objective will show Azerbaijan as a country that adheres to international standards: "This, in turn, would be beneficial for the stability and progress of the country's economic and business environment and would contribute to closer economic integration with the European Union."
When discussing the Estonian-Azerbaijani relations, President Ilves reminded that April 8 will be the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the Estonian Society in Baku, which demonstrates the substantial history of bilateral relations.
The Estonian president emphasized that political dialogue was underway between the two countries, but added that cooperation could be even closer between the heads of government and also the ministries of economic affairs, defense and agriculture.
"We also need to focus on much closer economic cooperation; Estonia is very interested in pursuing this matter," said President Ilves. "We want Estonian investors to have a secure business environment in Azerbaijan and the cooperation to be smooth, without excessive bureaucratic restrictions, characterized by rules understandable for everyone, and transparency."
Ilves acknowledged Azerbaijan's wish to modernize its public sector, using cooperation with Estonia to meet that goal. For example, Estonian information technology companies are participating in partnerships with their Azerbaijani colleagues to develop e-governance in Azerbaijan and create a safe data exchange layer, which is known in Estonia as X-tee.
"Following this, it will be easy for Azerbaijan to adopt other solutions that are successfully operating in Estonia, such as e-Health, e-Police, e-School and eventually the ID card," said Ilves.
Presidents Ilves and Aliyev also discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh.
"Estonia supports the resolution of the issues related to Upper Garabagh and the adjacent regions through negotiations, and I know that this is also your opinion in this matter," Ilves told the Azerbaijani leader. "You need to prepare for peace, not war, which means patience during the negotiations in order to arrive at an agreement for a peaceful solution of the Upper Garabagh issues, which would pave the way for an extensive peace treaty."
The Estonian head of state emphasized the important role played by Azerbaijan in increasing the EU’s energy security as whole.
"This is why we highly appreciate Azerbaijan's participation in the Southern Corridor initiative and in projects such as the Nabucco gas stream," Ilves said.
The Estonian and Azerbaijani leaders also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, where both countries contribute to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
"Azerbaijan, as one of the key countries of this region, understands quite clearly the importance of a stable Afghanistan for both itself and its neighbors, as this would stop the spread of extremism," said Ilves. "This is the reason why the international community has accepted its responsibility and many countries - not just NATO - have sent their defense force members and civilian experts to Afghanistan."
Presidents Ilves and Aliyev on Wednesday signed a joint declaration on Estonia-Azerbaijani relations.*