Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan and Sweden agreed Monday to expand their relations during Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt’s talks with his counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku on Monday, the Azerbaijani minister said after the meeting.

"Swedish companies are interested in working in Azerbaijan," Mammadyarov told a news conference. "We also discussed holding mutual Days of Culture."

Minister Bildt said the two countries have long maintained successful cooperation and it should be further expanded.

Bildt said the issues discussed with the Azerbaijani minister included the European Union-Azerbaijan Association Agreement. "In my opinion, the signing of this agreement will be of special importance for the country’s further modernization and development."

Regarding Azerbaijan’s win at this year’s Eurovision song contest, the Swedish minister said Azerbaijan today is "at the top of the European.. culture".

"This victory granted Azerbaijan an opportunity to promote its culture before hundreds of thousands of people," Bildt said, adding that next year, Europe’s attention will be on the country when it hosts the Eurovision contest.

On the same day, Bildt met with Azerbaijani opposition leaders. According to Musavat deputy chairman Mehman Javadoglu, along with the party’s leader, Isa Gambar, and Azerbaijan Popular Front Party’s (APFP) Ali Karimli, the meeting was joined by former lawmaker and historian Jamil Hasanli.

Javadoglu said discussions focused on the social and political situation in Azerbaijan, issues of free speech, the persons detained during the April 2 antigovernment protest, and the issue of so-called political prisoners. Azerbaijan’s European integration and prospects for closer relations with Sweden were among the issues discussed as well, Javadoglu said.

During his tour of the South Caucasus region, which will last until Wednesday, Bildt is also due to visit Armenia and Georgia where he will meet with the two countries’ foreign ministers.