Azernews.Az

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov said Monday his country was seeking to buy 1 billion cubic meters of gas a year from resource-rich Azerbaijan.
The statement came after talks with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev as Parvanov started a three-day working visit to the South Caucasus republic.
Issues concerning exports of Caspian energy resources to Europe were high on the agenda of the two leaders' discussions. The energy projects tabled included the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline connecting Greece and Bulgaria recently proposed by the Bulgarian side.
President Parvanov suggested that Azerbaijan join the project. "This is a new route, and I offered to discuss the project with the Azerbaijani president. I believe that Azerbaijan's joining the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project is important," he told a joint news conference with President Aliyev.
The nearly $1 billion Balkan pipeline, bypassing Turkey's heavily-used Bosporus Straits, would carry Russian oil from Burgas on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast to the Greek Mediterranean port of Alexandroupolis. The pipe would initially carry 700,000 barrels of oil a day, with the capacity expected to exceed 1 million barrels a day in the future. It is tentatively scheduled for completion by 2010.
Parvanov also said implementation of the NABUCCO project that envisions building a 3,300 km-long pipeline under the Caspian Sea to ship gas to world markets was pivotal for European energy supplies.
The Bulgarian leader noted that creating the much-needed additional opportunities was essential for broader economic cooperation, in particular, in the field of transport. "The Baku-Tbilisi-Gars rail line project was cited in this respect, and I believe this would be important for the citizens of Balkan states."
Parvanov said flights between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria were due to open in September, adding that both countries were looking to prevent delays.
President Aliyev cited vast opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector. "Both Azerbaijan and Bulgaria are indispensable for European energy security."
Aliyev emphasized that Azerbaijan, which is flush with oil and gas reserves, has already turned into an exporter of hydrocarbons. The country will produce more than 50 million tons of oil this year. Azerbaijan possesses gas reserves to the tune of 2 trillion cubic meters, which will be enough both for domestic consumption and for exports to energy-thirsty European markets for many years ahead.
"We have a multi-faceted transport infrastructure. Our energy resources are taken to world markets through four oil and gas pipelines. Provided that all programs in store for the future are executed, Azerbaijan will turn into a very reliable country exporting oil and gas to European markets," Aliyev said.
He noted that Azeri-Bulgarian relations were now entering a regional format and prospects for the Caspian and Black Sea cooperation were very promising in this regard.
Ways of solving the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh problem were also on the agenda of the two leaders' one-on-one and broad discussions.
President Aliyev said European nations should send a message to Armenia making it clear that the independence of Upper Garabagh, an Azeri region under Armenian occupation, will never be recognized.
Parvanov said his country had clearly stated during its chairmanship in the OSCE that it recognized Upper Garabagh as part of Azerbaijan.
"You probably remember well that we informed Azerbaijan of this stance. The [mediating] Minsk Group is aware of our position. As an EU member state, we remain committed to it at the EU as well," the Bulgarian leader said.
Parvanov said Bulgaria did not recognize the independence of Kosovo but shares the world community's view that this is a unique case that cannot set a precedent for the resolution of other conflicts.
The two countries signed no documents during the Bulgarian leader's talks in Baku. On Tuesday, Parvanov paid an informal visit to the northern Shaki district where he toured historical monuments and preserves.