"I fully agree with opinion of President Ilham Aliyev that Russia and Azerbaijan are tied with warm and friendly relations of two strategic partners".
The statement came from President of Russia Dmitriy Medvedev. He was commenting to a special edition of The Business Year magazine on 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan – The Business Year Azerbaijan 2011.
'The essence of these relations are manifested in different spheres of cooperation including economic, humanitarian and the sphere of provision of security. These close ties were openly manifested in the support Russia received from Azerbaijan during the recent natural disaster when fires covered the Russian territory. Looking into the future, I see bright perspectives for cooperation', he said.
According to the Russian president, energy is among the main sector, but not the only sphere of cooperation between the two states. He believes that energy summit in the future will help check watches on all main issues, particularly, cooperation in gas sector.
'Regional issues are constantly the center of our attention and we are discussing them with Azerbaijan. We would like to preserve the positive experience we got in issues related to Caspian Sea, which is common for our states', Medvedev said.
He said humanitarian cooperation is also very important.
'A very symbolic event occurred in 2010, when Baku transferred us icons, confiscated in the attempt of their smuggle to Azerbaijan. Such cooperation between the law enforcement bodies of the two countries is encouraging. Additionally, it was a gesture of friendship and we appreciate such relations', the Russian president said.
He said that it is necessary to be very attentive when bilateral economic interests are involved.
"We must understand that every country has its own, quite pragmatic interests. Here, unlike humanitarian sector, the main goal is to make a profit, and it is normal. We need to match our desires with our capabilities in this matter, and this is the main task.
Secondly, as I and Azerbaijani president pointed out earlier, our two countries are major players in the energy sector, and we have many common interests, as we produce and supply energy resources. Therefore, it is necessary to reach an agreement and establish even closer cooperation in this sector," Medvedev noted.
The Russian president also stressed the importance of maintaining stability in the Caucasus.
"Preserving stability in the Caucasus, of course, is also a very important issue for Russia. This is the basic concept which we adhere to when building a relationship with Azerbaijan, our closest neighbor and friend.
Therefore, we are interested in maintaining peace and order in the region. A decision to extend presence of the Russian military base in Armenia, adopted in the course of my visit to Yerevan, should be viewed in this context. The military base is designed to ensure peace and order, maintain stability and reduce the complexity that we have today," Russian President said.
He also stressed Moscow’s mediation in settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"The frequency of meetings between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan held with my participation has reached a historic high. Speaking on the issue not so long ago I noted that I am not ashamed of our work. These were important discussions, during which the parties noted presence of a number of difficulties in this process.
But in any case, these efforts produce certain result and negotiations are going on. In my opinion, intensity of these contacts should not be reduced. Russia is ready to be responsible for its commitments within the OSCE Minsk Group. Its moral duty towards the neighboring countries is to continue dialogue on this issue between them.
Personally, I am ready to contribute to these contacts and bring up the most complicated issues on the agenda of negotiations for discussion. I hope that in near future we will continue similar consultations involving me and our foreign ministers. Russia will adhere to its obligations seriously and will take appropriate steps to help achieve the necessary result. This result is indeed a vital, since it is able to bring lasting peace and security to the region, which, no doubt, is a zone of Russian interests," Medvedev noted.
Source: 1news.az
picture courtesy of www.kremlin.ru
