Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Azerbaijan intends to develop its cooperation with Afghanistan in all sectors, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Pakistan and Afghanistan Dashgin Shikarov said at a meeting with Afghan Parliament Speaker Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi on May 7.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that the sides had discussed the relations between the two countries.

Shikarov informed the Afghan speaker about the domestic and foreign policy of Azerbaijan, domestic economic reforms, as well as strategic projects and social projects implemented in the country.

Speaking about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Khojaly genocide committed by Armenians against Azerbaijan in 1992, Shikarov thanked Ibrahimi for the Afghan parliament's support for Azerbaijan.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

The Afghan parliament speaker, for his part, thanked Amb. Shikarov for Azerbaijan's support to the peace process in Afghanistan.

He stressed Azerbaijan's activity within the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), its close involvement in the Istanbul Process as well as financial support for Afghanistan.

Ibrahimi highlighted the importance of the development of relations between the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Afghanistan and said that Afghanistan supports Baku's position in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Azerbaijani ambassador was also hosted by Afghan Minister of Economy Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal. Shikarov spoke about Azerbaijan's extensive experience in the oil and gas sector and stressed the efficiency of capitalizing on Azerbaijani experts' experience in the exploration of natural resources in the Afghan territory.

Later, Shikarov met with the Azerbaijani peacekeepers serving in the Turkish platoon near Kabul. During the meeting, commander of the platoon, Maj.-Gen. Ali Rza Kuchu highly assessed the service of Azerbaijani peacekeepers.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Afghanistan amounted to $119.92 million in 2012.

The share of Afghanistan in Azerbaijan's foreign trade turnover was 0.36 percent, including 0.5 percent made up by Azerbaijan's export, in 2012. The trade turnover with Afghanistan increased by 19.66 percent compared to 2011.