Azerbaijan is friendly country for Cuba: ambassador
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan has always been and will be a friendly country for Cuba, Cuban Ambassador Omar Medina Quintero said at a press conference on Thursday in Baku.
"Notwithstanding the economic blockade by the USA, Azerbaijan always stands by Cuba. Many Cuban specialists received higher education in this country," Quintero said.
"Azerbaijan has extensive experience in the development of hydrocarbons and this experience may be useful to Cuba," he added.
The ambassador said Cuba recently started exploratory drilling along its shores in the Gulf of Mexico, and is interested in Azerbaijan's experience in this area.
Rich reserves of high quality oil were discovered in the Cuban part of the Gulf of Mexico last summer and the country announced plans to start exploratory drilling along its shoreline. Currently, Spanish Repsol, Norway's Statoil, Malaysian Petronas and Venezuelan PDVSA are working in the area.
According to Quintero, Cuba produces about 3 million tons of oil for domestic needs annually.
"We know that there are large reserves of oil and are now attracting foreign companies to carry out the work. It is generally known that Azerbaijan has experience in deep-water drilling and this experience could be useful to us," Quintero noted.
He said the two countries should also closely cooperate in the field of training in the oil sector.
Quintero said further that Azerbaijan and Cuba successfully cooperate in different sectors of the economy, including culture and humanitarian aid.
The tourism sector is another prospective field for cooperation between the two countries, Quintero said.
Quintero became the second Cuban ambassador to Azerbaijan, replacing Marcelo Caballero Torres, in late summer 2012.
Cuban-Azerbaijani relations were established in the 1990s. Papers covering various fields have been signed since then. Trade turnover between the two countries has been growing.
Cuba supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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