Azernews.Az

The Ivory Coast wants to use Azerbaijan's experience in oil and gas, the Ivory Coast's newly appointed ambassador to Azerbaijan Bernard Tanoh-Boutchoué told the press on Wednesday, according to Trend news agency.

He said the two countries are engaged in oil and gas production, but the Ivory Coast's oil and gas reserves are much smaller than Azerbaijan's.

"We would like our students to study the area of oil and gas in the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) and at universities," the ambassador said.

Stressing that Azerbaijan is a rapidly developing country, the ambassador said that at present, Azerbaijan supplies oil and gas to Europe and plays an important role in ensuring its energy security.

Referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Bernard Tanoh-Boutchoué stressed that his country is concerned about this issue and considers the territorial integrity of any country as important, adding that the Ivory Coast supports the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.