Azerbaijan, Switzerland mull co-op in various fields
By Aynur Jafarova
The relations between Azerbaijan and Switzerland and bilateral cooperation in various fields were high on the agenda of a meeting between Swiss President Didier Burkhalter and Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ogtay Asadov in Baku on June 2.
Speaking about the bilateral ties between the two countries Asadov said "about 40 Swiss companies are operating in Azerbaijan, and most of them are engaged in the non-oil sector."
"Azerbaijan has been developing rapidly and the country has already started to invest in energy sector of Switzerland," Asadov noted.
Praising the Azerbaijani-Swiss political and economic relations, Asadov noted 26 documents have been signed between the two countries and seven more are ready for signing.
Speaking about the cooperation of the two countries in a number of international organizations Asadov noted Azerbaijan will host the 23rd session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. It will also take the rotating chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for 6 months.
Asadov also touched on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, expressing regret over the fact that the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group have not yet produced any results.
"The UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on the conflict. However Armenia ignores these resolutions and continues its occupation of 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands," Asadov said.
President Burkhalter, in turn, said he is visiting Azerbaijan also as the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, and noted the importance of listening to the conflicting parties.
Burkhalter also said he will visit Georgia and Armenia in the next two days, expressing hope that the visits would contribute to speeding up the negotiations tore solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Also, the Swiss president was received by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and the sides discussed the Azerbaijan-Switzerland and Azerbaijan-OSCE relations.
As part of his visit to Azerbaijan, President Burkhalter met a group of Azerbaijani IDPs.
Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDP Affairs Ali Hasanov informed the Swiss President on the work done by the government to improve the living conditions of IDPs and refugees in Azerbaijan.
On June 2, President Burkhalter wrapped up his official visit to Azerbaijan.
A ceremonial guard of honor lined up for the Swiss president at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
The Swiss president was seen off by Azerbaijani First Deputy Premier Yagub Eyyubov and other officials.
Switzerland is one of the largest investors in the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan's fast-growing economy. Some 81 companies with Swiss capital are operating in service, industry, trade, construction, transport, communications, financing, and other fields in Azerbaijan.
So far, $70 million has been granted to Azerbaijan by the Swiss government. Switzerland invested $185.3 million in Azerbaijan's non-oil sector in 1995-2013.
Azerbaijani companies are also interested in the Swiss economy. Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR has already invested 380 million Swiss francs ($322.3 million), and the company's representative office is very active in Switzerland.
The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $47.82 million in January-April 2014.