Azerbaijani, Romanian presidents agree to develop energy cooperation

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, agreed to develop energy cooperation at a meeting Saturday in Bucharest.

"The sides pointed out the existence of strategic partnership relations between the two countries, and stressed the importance of high-level reciprocal visits and meetings. They noted that the relevant authorities of both countries enjoy close cooperation," the media service of the Azerbaijani president said in a statement.

The presidents noted the significance of the agreement concerning green energy development and transmission between the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary in the Romanian capital, it said.

"In particular, the sides emphasized the importance of energy supply of Europe through green energy sources, and praised Azerbaijan's important contribution to this work," it said.

The leaders added that they reached an agreement on the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Romania via the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria that will begin in January.

They also noted that Azerbaijani oil giant, SOCAR, has been successfully operating in Romania for years and said there is good potential for expanding the activity.

"During the conversation, the presidents exchanged views on the possibility of increasing transport and communication opportunities, the volume of cargo transportation through the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania route. The sides underlined that this will also contribute to economic cooperation between the countries of the Caspian Sea basin and the Black Sea basin. They stressed the importance of these processes in terms of strengthening transit relations between Central Asia and Europe," according to the statement.

Aliyev and Iohannis exchanged views about relations between Azerbaijan and the EU and hailed the development of the cooperation.

"They pointed out the successful continuation of the negotiations on a new agreement between Azerbaijan and the European Union," it said.

The presidents also discussed prospects for cooperation and issues of mutual interest.