Azernews.Az

BAKU – Switzerland is an important partner and friendly country for Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said while hosting his Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey on Monday.

President Aliyev said political dialog and consultations between the two countries are at a high level.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Switzerland also have great prospects for economic cooperation.

"Issues of energy security are always part of our discussions," he said, adding that everything possible was being done to develop bilateral relations more rapidly.

Aliyev voiced confidence that Azerbaijani-Swiss economic cooperation would expand further in the coming years, that more mutual investments would be made, along with cultural exchanges, as well as closer cooperation in the energy sector, which is a key issue on the global agenda, particularly in the South Caucasus region and Europe.

President Calmy-Rey termed as important developing bilateral relations in a variety of fields, including economics, energy and culture.

"I think there is a special partnership between our countries. We are cooperating within international organizations," Calmy-Rey said.

She noted that both Azerbaijan and Switzerland are represented in the regional group Bretton Woods, thanking the Azerbaijani leader for effective cooperation within the organization.

During her visit to Azerbaijan, which ends Tuesday, Calmy-Rey is due to visit the Nakhchivan autonomous republic. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is implementing a project on improving water supply in the arid mountainous region, according to the Swiss president’s website.