Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday had a one-on-one meeting with Swiss Confederation President Pascal Couchepin paying an official visit to Baku.
The two leaders praised the successful development of relations between the two countries, citing good prospects for further expanding them. They stressed the importance of high-level meetings between representatives of Azerbaijan and Switzerland, voicing confidence that the Swiss president's visit would serve to furthering ties.
Presidents Aliyev and Couchepin also exchanged views on regional and international issues.
The Confederation president said there were favorable conditions for foreign investment in Azerbaijan, which was attracting capital from abroad. "Investing here is safe, and this increases opportunities for Swiss companies."
In a meeting with Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov, Couchepin underscored the importance of stepping up Azeri-Swiss inter-parliamentary relations, saying a joint friendship group would be set up in the Swiss legislature in the future.
Touching on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, Couchepin said his country backed a peaceful settlement to the dispute in accord with Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
Couchepin, who arrived in Baku on Saturday night, has visited the Gobustan state preserve. He was informed that Gobustan, which is located 65 km away from the capital, is one of the revered ancient historical sights of the country. Research conducted in the area has revealed that there are 6,000 on-rock carvings there. Over 40 burial mounds and some 105,000 cultural samples have been discovered at the preserve, which has been included in UNESCO's cultural heritage list.
Couchepin also visited the Sangachal oil terminal, Garadagh Cement company, Caspian Fish Co., and toured Icheri Sheher (Old City), a historical monument downtown Baku.