Day of German Unity marked in Baku
By Sara Rajabova
The German embassy in Azerbaijan organized an official reception to mark the Day of German Unity, Germany's national holiday, in Baku on October 3.
Opening the event, German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Heidrun Tempel spoke about the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Germany.
She recalled that Germany was one the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan and expressed confidence for further development of bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Economic Development Niyazi Safarov congratulated the German government and people on behalf of the Azerbaijani government and people on this historic date.
Safarov said it is important for Azerbaijan to cooperate with Germany, which is one of the most powerful countries of the European Union.
He said the dynamics of developing relations in recent years is encouraging.
According to Safarov, Azerbaijan and Germany have signed 67 documents regulating bilateral relations, of which over 30 are aimed at economic cooperation.
Safarov said Azerbaijan-Germany trade turnover totaled $1.4 billion over nine months of this year, or 10 percent more than in the same period of last year.
He said financial and technical cooperation between the two countries is also at a high level. According to him, around 167 companies with German investments are operating in Azerbaijan.
Safarov expressed confidence that bilateral relations will continue developing through more efforts.
Germany celebrates the German reunification in 1990 every year. In Berlin, the date is celebrated with a festival around the Brandenburg Gate.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev extended greetings to German President Joachim Gauck on unity day.
He said the relationship between the two governments is on the path of comprehensive development.