Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

Azerbaijan will open an embassy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, by late 2014.

The news was announced by Trend agency that quoted Afghan Foreign Minister Zarar Ahmad Osmani as saying.

He said during his visit to Baku he had discussed this issue with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

"We were promised that Azerbaijan will open its embassy in Kabul by late 2014," Osmani said.

He said Afghanistan will also send a new ambassador to Azerbaijan.

"Afghanistan's ambassador to Azerbaijan has changed; he was appointed to a ministerial post and was therefore called back. There is no doubt that we will send a new ambassador to Azerbaijan," Osmani said.

Osmani is on a visit to Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Osmani on March 18. The sides exchanged views on developing cooperation in different fields, particularly economy, trade, and investment.

During his visit, Osmani also met with his Azerbaijani counterpart, and the two sides discussed a wide range of issues on economic cooperation, including Afghanistan`s opportunities to use the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project and the transportation of goods from Afghanistan via this railway.

Colonel-General Ramil Usubov, Azerbaijani Interior Minister, also met with the delegation headed by Osmani.

During the meeting, Usubov stressed that relations between the two countries are successfully developing, and the Afghan delegation's visit will give new impetus to cooperation.

Usubov also talked about the direction of his ministry's activity, and gave a brief explanation about the tense socio-political situation in Azerbaijan during the first years of its independence.

He stressed that radical reforms were conducted in all the spheres of social and political life, and stability was restored after national leader Heydar Aliyev came to power.

The minister praised Afghanistan's efforts in supporting Azerbaijan's fair position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in international organizations.

Usubov stressed that the Azerbaijani side has worked out and sent a draft agreement on security cooperation between the Azerbaijani and Afghan governments to the Afghan side for effective cooperation between the law enforcement bodies of two countries, including in combating transnational crime and drug trafficking.

Osmani expressed his gratitude for the warm reception of the Azerbaijani side and the detailed information offered.

He stressed that mutual visits will make an invaluable contribution to the development of relations in all fields between the two countries.

He also expressed his confidence that the agreement will be signed between Azerbaijan and Afghanistan in the near future.