Official visit of President Türk to Azerbaijan

Baku, 9.11.2009  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, and his wife, Barbara Mikliè Türk, arrived on an official visit to Azerbaijan, where they were received by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Dr Ilhan Aliyev, and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva. After a reception ceremony with military honours and a short talk between the two presidential couples, President Türk and President Aliyev had a tête-à-tête meeting, followed by plenary talks between the delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the delegation of the Republic of Slovenia, led, respectively, by both presidents.

President Türk and President Aliyev shared the view that relations between the two countries are very good. President Türk stressed that Slovenia and Azerbaijan, young countries with a rich cultural tradition, entertain amicable ties that would provide a solid framework for furthering this relationship. The two presidents agreed that there was considerable economic cooperation potential between the two countries.

The Azerbaijani President pointed out that the economies of the two countries were complementary, supported without unnecessary competition. The most promising sectors, according to the two leaders, were tourism, infrastructure, energy, information technologies, telecommunications and the pharmaceutical industry. President Aliyev stressed the energy feature of Azerbaijan, a country with rich oil and gas reserves and modern transport facilities, which are of importance for the European Union in terms of enhancing its energy security and helping with the diversification of energy sources. President Türk, on the other hand, stressed the experience of Slovenia in developing the hydro power industry. New possibilities for enhanced economic cooperation will be discussed with a 65-member economic delegation that is accompanying the Slovenian President on his visit to Azerbaijan. The Agreement on the abolition of visas for diplomatic passports, the Memorandum on economic cooperation and the Memorandum on cooperation in the industry and energy sectors that were signed today will further contribute to advancing cooperation between the two countries.

Another topic discussed by the presidents was cultural cooperation. Dr Türk presented Slovenia's experience with the preservation of cultural heritage within the framework of the Ljubljana Process, and the two leaders agreed on the importance of dialogue between cultures, religions and civilisations. When discussing initiatives in the humanitarian field, they primarily talked about the activities of the Slovenian International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance – ITF. The two presidents also discussed cooperation within the Eastern Partnership Initiative, which provides a perfect political framework for building relationships between the European Union and its partners in the East. The discussion also touched upon the "frozen" conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the region of Nagorny-Karabach. President Aliyev said that, although there has been a cease fire in place with Armenia since 1994, almost 20% of his country remains under foreign occupation, and more than one million Azerbaijanis have had to leave their homes or even their country. He stressed how important resolving this issue is for peace, cooperation and security in the whole region.

President Türk said that resolving this conflict should be based on the principles of territorial integrity, respect of existing borders and a peaceful solution of conflicts. He expressed his support of the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and of other initiatives to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict over Nagorny Karabach according to these principles. As part of his visit, President Türk laid a wreath at the tomb of national leader Heydar Aliyev and the Martyrs' Alley.

President Türk also met with Ogtay Asadov, the president of the Azerbaijani Parliament. In their talks, they assesed the relationship between the two countries as good, and exchanged views regarding the question of Nagorny Karabach. Mr Asadov expressed the expectation that Slovenia would back up the position of Azerbaijan concerning the conflict with Armenia. President Türk stressed the need for the solution to be in line with the principles of international law, and welcomed efforts for enhanced international cooperation and a collaborative resolution of political issues.