D. AVRAMOPOULOS: I would also like to extend once again my warmest thanks to my good friend and colleague, Elmar, for his invitation and for the very, very warm hospitality he reserved for me and for the rest of the Greek delegation. Maybe you don’t know that my very first visit here was in the year 2005, in my capacity at that time as Minister of Tourism. Actually it was the very first visit of a Minister, after the visit of the President of the Republic, Mr. Stefanopoulos, and this marked a new beginning in our bilateral relations. Today, it is really a great pleasure for me to be returning to Azerbaijan and this vibrant city of Baku, this time in my capacity as Foreign Minister of Greece.
This visit is yet another important step in the 20-year history of our expanding bilateral relations. As you know, Greece was among the very first countries to recognize Azerbaijan and set up an embassy here in Baku. I am really happy to be able to say that our cooperation is at a very high level and constantly improving, and this is the third time in one year that I am meeting with my colleague and friend, Mr. Mammadyarov, my good friend Elmar, this time here in Baku, at his very kind invitation.
We had a long and very productive meeting at two levels: a tête-à-tête meeting, and then we had also the same sincere and deep meeting with our delegations. During these meetings, we reviewed our bilateral relations and our cooperation within the framework of international organizations, and I briefed Elmar on the priorities of the upcoming Greek European Union Presidency that will start on January 1st of next year, and our plans to promote, enhance, and deepen the relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan.
We also agreed to take common steps in areas where we can further expand our cooperation – the Minister mentioned them before – such as tourism, trade, culture and the energy sector. Of course, one focus of our talks was the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the TAP project, which Greece, together with Italy and Albania, fully and strongly supports.
But we are not the only ones who support this project. Other countries in the region have already expressed their desire to be part of this project, which means that it makes it more competitive.
We are also very pleased at SOCAR’s participation in the privatization process of the Greek Natural Gas System Operation, DESFA as it is called, which comes as a welcome acknowledgement of the major investment opportunities opening up in Greece.
I had the opportunity also to brief my friend Elmar about the developments in Greece following the decisions to overcome the economic crisis. As you know, the Greek people have gone through difficult moments, many sacrifices have been made – sacrifices that have already produced results – and we are at the beginning of the end of this transitional but difficult period. Greece is again becoming a very open, friendly, hospitable country for investments, and we want to welcome Azerbaijani investments and entrepreneurs who would like to respond to our invitation.
I also want to mention that this morning I had the honor of being received by his Excellency the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, and later on I will be meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Artur Rasizadeh . Yesterday evening – and for me it was also very special – I had the opportunity and the great pleasure of meeting again with my old and good friend Mr. Garayev, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, and we were happy to share some new ideas on how we can develop our cooperation even more.
And I seize the opportunity to remind to all of you that Aegean Airlines will be inaugurating its direct flights from Baku to Athens just one month from now, something that will bring our countries even closer. So, as you noticed from what the Minister said and I myself added, we covered a wide spectrum of issues that bring the two countries closer to each other, in a spirit of friendship and solidarity.
I also proposed to my friend Elmar to organize a major event under the auspices of the leadership of our countries and very soon to host, either in Athens or here, a high-level meeting between the two governments in order to open the doors for further and deeper cooperation at all these levels that we mentioned before.
Once again, I want to express my gratitude and my thanks for this warm reception yesterday and today in Baku and of course to end by letting you know that I addressed an invitation to my friend Elmar to visit us in Greece as soon as possible and according to his schedule of course. He must know that in Greece he has a good friend, but, on the other hand, representing his country he will find there a very hospitable and friendly environment for all Azerbaijanis who would like to visit our country. Thank you very much for your attention.
JOURNALIST: A question for the Foreign Minister of Greece: I would like to ask what is the official Athens stance on the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? Thank you very much.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Thank you. It is true that we also talked about this issue. The peaceful resolution of disputes, with respect for international law and national sovereignty, is a fundamental principle of Greek foreign policy, and it is also a European principle.
Greece is also a participating state in the OSCE, of course, and we fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chairmen towards a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, with the objective of finding a solution that is acceptable to the parties concerned.
What is most important is the will, the political will, of the involved parties to negotiate a solution. If the political will is there, dialogue and negotiations work.
You know that Greece’s foreign policy is characterized by one principle: it is a policy committed to peace. We really want to see this problem be solved as soon as possible, because it would be to the benefit of everybody in this part of the world, in this neighborhood, in this region – and also for us. We are always ready to contribute in any way in order to sort this problem out. I know that efforts have been made so far and I am optimistic for the future, but we have to work hard. You know we should pave the way for solutions to all these questions that have to do with areas that have gone through difficult moments in the past. We all live in an increasingly interconnected world. Therefore, we must not leave conflicts like this stand in the way of progress. I believe that it is the profound will of all peoples of the region to live in peace and in an environment of stability, cooperation and friendship, and I believe that this should define the road that will lead one day to the solution of this problem.
JOURNALIST: Good afternoon. I am Angelos Athanasopoulos, journalist from the newspaper «To Vima», in Athens Greece. I have one question for each of you. First, Mr. Mammadyarov, I would like to know if you are satisfied with the level of cooperation in the energy field with Greece, and what do you believe about the prospects of the TAP pipeline? And one question for our Foreign Minister: Do you believe that we will have more high level visits from the Greek side to Azerbaijan, possibly by the Greek Prime Minister in the near future? Thank you.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: I’ll answer the question first: As far as I am concerned, yes.
E. MAMMADYAROV: As far as I am concerned, I have to give you a little longer answer. The question is if I am satisfied with energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Greece, I would say no, because – and this was part of our discussion – we believe that we have a huge opportunity. As I said today, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Greece, only through the last year, has quadrupled – it is close to one billion, and most of it comes from the energy field. And mostly what we are talking about is oil and gas. Now we are moving forward to discuss a more specific cooperation in the gas field. As Mr. Avramopoulos just said, about the opening of the bid for privatization for DEPA and DESFA, you know that the state oil company of Azerbaijan is part of this bid. There are also opportunities for different kinds of investments in the energy field, and the energy facilities’ field. As Dimitris also said, a high-level meeting in Athens is also being discussed. We also said – elaborating, probably, on the high-level meetings’ idea- that we should create a business forum, which will include the energy as well as other fields. So, plenty of opportunities are there, and the companies and the business world should be aware that from the political point of view we can further enhance our cooperation. Thank you.
May 2, 2013