Azerbaijan continues contributing to global development: UK Foreign Secretary
UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,
William Hague spoke about Azerbaijan in an interview with 'The
Business Year - Azerbaijan 2014' magazine.
During the interview Hague said Azerbaijan's balanced foreign
policy and its positive relations with partners in the region and
beyond are well known, and the country continues reaching out to
new partners and contributing to global development.
"Further afield, the UK is the number one foreign investor in
Azerbaijan, the U.S. and South Korea are important diplomatic
partners, and Italy, France, and Indonesia are the top three
destinations for Azerbaijani exports," Hague underscored.
He went on to add that Azerbaijan has trade relations with over 150
countries and cooperates with the World Trade Organization, the UN,
the EU, the OSCE, and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation.
"The scope of these bilateral and multilateral partnerships has
broadened over the past year thanks to Azerbaijan's continued
diplomatic efforts," Hague added.
He said the beginning of the Shah Deniz II gas project last
December also reinforced Azerbaijan's importance to Europe in its
capacities as an exporter and a possible transit point for energy
resources from Central Asia and Europe.
"The announcement of the Shah Deniz II development is welcome news
for Azerbaijan and for Europe," Hague stressed. "It will create new
linkages between our countries, new opportunities for cooperation,
and new sources of trade and prosperity. It will also create new
sources of supply that will strengthen energy security in the South
Caucasus, Turkey, and the EU."
"Gas will remain a vital part of Europe's energy mix and additional
supplies of Caspian gas will support our energy security and
strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of our
economies."
Hague went on to add that he is proud of the UK's central role in
the development of Azerbaijan's oil and gas assets and looks
forward to strengthening the valuable partnership.
He said one of the most important developments in Azerbaijan's
foreign policy in recent years has been its increased humanitarian
and development cooperation.
Hague underscored that in December 2011 Azerbaijan established its
international development agency, AIDA, which operates under
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, adding that humanitarian aid has been
provided to a number of countries at the initiative of this
agency.