Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan is the Czech Republic’s strategic partner in the South Caucasus region, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said following talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku on Friday.
At a news briefing held after the meeting, he noted that the Eastern European country had lately opened an embassy in Azerbaijan despite the world economic crisis, saying the measure would strengthen ties between the two countries.
The Czech embassy officially began operating in Baku on Thursday.
Kohout said, further, that his country was keen on economic cooperation with Azerbaijan as well.
"We are mainly interested in transporting energy resources. Azerbaijani oil currently accounts for 25 percent of the energy resources consumed by the Czech Republic. [This means that] every fourth vehicle driven in the Czech Republic operates on Azerbaijani gasoline."
Kohout said Prague was attaching importance to its cooperation with Azerbaijan in a number of fields. He also said the Czech Republic was interested in modernizing industries in Azerbaijan.
"We could share our experience in utilizing renewable sources of energy and purifying drinking water. In the future, we would also like to develop bilateral relations in the areas of science and education."
Following talks between the two ministers, the two countries signed an agreement on air transport cooperation, which included opening flights between Baku and Prague. Kohout said the agreement will give an impetus to the development of tourism cooperation between the two countries.
Also, the ministers agreed on holding the Days of Culture of Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic in both countries.*