Azerbaijani-Czech relations should be viewed beyond energy coop: deputy speaker
By Aynur Jafarova
Relations between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic should be viewed not only in the context of energy cooperation, but in a broader format, deputy speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, chairman of the inter-parliamentary group, Valeh Alaskarov, has said.
"The cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic is developing very intensively in all sectors, in particular, the economy, energy and other fields," he said while hosting a Czech delegation.
Alaskarov said that inter-parliamentary relations play a special role in the development of bilateral relations and expressed confidence that the parliaments of Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic will develop their cooperation to a higher level.
According to him, it is possible to develop relations not only in the energy sector but also in other fields, in particular, in industry, agriculture, tourism, culture and healthcare.
Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Relations of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Jan Hamacek, in turn, said that the Czech Republic supports Azerbaijan's European integration efforts.
"The Czech Republic is ready to comprehensively support Azerbaijan in this issue," Hamacek said.
According to him, the cooperation between the two countries should not be confined to energy.
The Czech parliamentary delegation headed by Hamacek is on a visit to Baku this week. During the visit, the delegation was also received by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Mammadyarov noted the high level of bilateral relations, saying that there are huge opportunities to broaden bilateral cooperation in various sectors such as tourism, culture, energy and infrastructure projects.
Speaking about the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, Mammadyarov said that the work of the Czech-Azerbaijani inter-parliamentary group would contribute to the enhancement of bilateral ties overall.
Touching on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Azerbaijani minister said that to achieve a solution to the conflict, in the first place, Armenian armed forces must withdraw from Azerbaijan's occupied territories, and expressed his gratitude to the Czech side for supporting Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
Addressing the meeting, Hamacek said he was impressed by considerable economic growth in Azerbaijan.
He praised Azerbaijan's role in ensuring the energy security of the Czech Republic and Europe as a whole, adding that the Czech Republic considers Azerbaijan its strategic partner.
Noting the opportunities available to further broaden bilateral cooperation in new areas such as tourism and culture, Hamacek said that it is necessary to increase parliamentary exchanges between the two countries.
The meeting also discussed regional issues, European Union-Azerbaijan relations and the EU's Eastern Partnership program.
The Czech delegation also met with students and academic staff of the Baku Slavic University.
Rector of the university, professor Kamal Abdullayev said the university has the Czech language and literature department in which 50 students are taking bachelor's and master's programs.
Hamacek noted that the economic and cultural relations between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic are effectively developing and said that students learning the Czech language would play a significant role in bolstering these relations.
Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan Radek Matula and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Prague Tahir Tagizade accompanied the MPs.
The Czech delegation also visited Icherisheher, the Maiden Tower, which was built in the 7th-6th centuries BCE and restored in the 12th century, and the National Museum of Azerbaijani History.