Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Italy and Azerbaijan enjoy strong friendly relations, Chairman of the Italian Senate's Defense Commission Nicola Latorre said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Parliamentary Speaker Ogtay Asadov on May 7.

The Italian official also praised his country's relations with Azerbaijan. He hailed the economic cooperation between the two countries, saying there was huge potential for expanding bilateral ties.

He noted Azerbaijan is a stable country despite its complicated geopolitical location.

Latorre also spoke about the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project, and hailed works done so far to ensure the accomplishment of the project.

Asadov, in turn, said Italy is one of Azerbaijan's major partners in Europe. He hailed trade between the two countries, noting it has been increasing yearly.

The parliamentary speaker highlighted Azerbaijan's role in ensuring Europe's energy security.

He noted the Shah Deniz-2 Final Investment Decision was signed last year under the project aimed at transporting the Azerbaijani gas to Europe.

Asadov also praised the activities of the friendship groups at both countries' parliaments.

As part of the visit to Azerbaijan, Latorre also met with Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for International Relations and Interparliamentary Ties Samad Seyidov, First Vice-Speaker of Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafet Asgarov and Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov.

Italy remains the largest importer of Azerbaijani goods. Almost a quarter of Azerbaijan's export went to Italy in January-July 2013, compared to 22 percent in the same period in 2012. Currently, 45 Italian companies are operating in Azerbaijan in insurance, banking, trade, and other areas.