During talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the capital Baku, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that being called a reliable partner of the European Union is a “great advantage” and a “great responsibility”, Azerbaijani media reported.
Aliyev said during a press conference with Stoltenberg, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency:
The European Commission calls Azerbaijan a reliable partner and a pan-European gas supplier. This is, of course, a big advantage and also a big responsibility.
Noting that during the one-on-one meeting with Stoltenberg he discussed energy security issues, Aliyev said Azerbaijan currently exports natural gas to eight countries, six of which are NATO members. The President expressed confidence that the number of Baku’s partners will grow in the coming years.
He also informed Stoltenberg about Azerbaijan’s green transition programme, stressing that the choice of Baku as the venue for the UN Climate Change Conference later this year is a sign of recognition of their efforts in this direction.
Aliyev also touched upon the situation with the peace talks between his country and Armenia. The President said that the start of the talks was Baku’s initiative and that the recent dialogue between the two sides shows that there are good chances for a settlement. He added:
During the times of occupation, negotiations, unfortunately, did not lead to any result. Actually, for 28 years, the OSCE Minsk Group did not produce any result. But now, as a result of the restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, we are very close, I think, and I hope, to having a breakthrough. That will be a very serious change in the South Caucasus. It will mean that long-awaited peace will come to the Caucasus.
At a meeting with Azerbaijan’s head of state, Stoltenberg said he welcomed Azerbaijan’s efforts to develop closer ties with NATO countries. He also noted that Baku plays “an increasingly important role in supplying gas and, in the future, electricity to key NATO allies in Europe”. The NATO chief stated:
Therefore you play an important role for the resilience of our societies. I also feel welcomed to be here in Baku as the Secretary General of NATO. Because as you mentioned, Azerbaijan is a longtime partner of NATO. We have worked together for many years.
Stoltenberg also said that peace in the South Caucasus region is extremely important not only for the peoples and countries of the region, but also for the Black Sea region, as well as for the security of the North Atlantic. Stoltenberg said, adding he welcomed Azerbaijan’s support for Ukraine:
Armenia and Azerbaijan have an opportunity to achieve enduring peace after years of conflict. I appreciate what you say about that you are closer to a peace agreement than ever before. I can just encourage you to seize this opportunity to reach a lasting peace agreement with Armenia.
Stoltenberg arrived in Baku on Sunday as part of a three-day regional visit to the South Caucasus, during which he will also visit Georgia and Armenia.
