Azernews.Az

Taking into account the role Azerbaijan plays in ensuring energy security of Europe and transit opportunities of Albania, cooperation beetween the two countries in energy sector comes out to the forefront of bilateral relations, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Albania Rahman Mustafayev said in an interview with Albanian influential English-speaking newspaper "Tirana Times".

Mustafayev's interview was posted on the eve of Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha's official visit to Azerbaijan. The visit is scheduled for Feb.9-10, diplomatic sources told Trend news agency.

"Diplomatic relations between our countries have been established in September 1993 and their main focus is to develop political dialogue and cooperation, both on bilateral and multilateral levels, increase the volumes of bilateral trade turnover and open our markets to investments from both sides," Mustafayev said.

He underlined that official visits to Azerbaijan of the Speaker of Parliament Jozefina Topalli in June 2010 and Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto contributed to better understanding of positions and priorities of each other, strengthening bilateral dialogue and cooperation. "We also effectively cooperate within the framework of different international organizations to which both our countries are members - UN, OSCE, OIC, OBSEC," Mustafayev added.

He underscored that main priorities of the Embassy of Azerbaijan to Albania fully correspond to objectives set up by Azerbaijani President, and first of all to one that Azerbaijan should be the main partner of Albania in wider South Caucasus and Central Asia region. "We should also upgrade and develop the legislative framework of our cooperation," Mustafayev said.

"We are working with our Albanian colleagues on drafts agreements on cooperation in the fields of trade and economy, energy, education and science, culture and tourism," he said.

Referring to the history and cultural heritage of Caucasian Albania, Mustafayev said that the main goal in bilateral humanitarian cooperation careful study of common history, historical and cultural intersections between the two countries and peoples.

The ambassador's interview mainly focused on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Mustafayev gave detailed information about the current state of the process of conflict resolution, as well as Azerbaijan's position on this issue. He also stressed that Azerbaijan highly appreciates the principled stand of Albania on the issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Mustafayev said Baku is looking forward for Albanian Prime Minister's visit to Azerbaijan.

"It will be the first visit to our country on the level of Albanian Prime Minister and Azerbaijani side is ready to do its best to make it fruitful and successful. We are confident, that the visit of Sali Berisha - Prime-minister and first democratically elected president of Albania - will turn a new page in the history of Azerbaijani-Albanian relations," he said.