Germany welcomes progress in Azerbaijan

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 2 2004

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder welcomed Wednesday the reforms
underway in Azerbaijan and economic growth observed in the country,
after talks held with President Ilham Aliyev. “The domestic reforms
have led to surprising growth,” said Schroeder, adding

that efforts to improve the rule of law had brought “much success
already.” President Aliyev was in Germany on August 24-26 as part of
his second official visit to Western Europe. During the meetings he
held with German officials, issues related to bilateral economic
and political relations, the Upper Garabagh conflict and the
socio-political situation in South Caucasus were discussed.

The parties signed an agreement on eliminating double taxation between
the two countries and a contract on the purchase of four Airbus
A319 aircraft from the European Airspace Concern. The airplanes
will be supplied starting as early as mid-2005. Issues pertaining
to financing construction of a new power station in Sumgayit were
discussed by experts from Azernergy open joint stock company and
German Baerishe Landesbank Girozentral, the financial consultant
on the project. The parties confirmed their intention to dertemine
the source of funding shortly and considered ways of establishing a
consortium of creditors. Schroeder told a news conference following
the meetings that as before, Germany supports Azerbaijan, recognizes
the country’s territorial integrity and pledged to continue this
policy. Touching upon the Upper Garabagh conflict, the German
Chancellor said his country is for a political solution and said
that Germany is committed to assistance through the auspices of the
OSCE. Schroeder said the purchase of the airplanes bears not only
economic but also political importance and proves that Azerbaijan
is integrating with Europe. With regard to drawing German companies
to Azerbaijan’s energy and infrastructure sectors, Schroeder said a
conference will be held this fall or early next year to inform these
companies of the business climate in the country and present them with
specific proposals. President Aliyev said he was confident that the
visit would promote the relations between the two countries. Touching
upon the Upper Garabagh conflict, the President said Azerbaijan was
satisfied with Germany’s position on the issue. Upon completion of
his visit to Germany, the President left Berlin for Athens, Greece
to watch the Olympics competitions of Azerbaijani athletes.

EU’s active involvement in S Caucasus

Both Washington and Moscow are closely following the strengthening
France-Germany tandem in South Caucasus. It is not by mere chance
that on the eve of President Aliyev’s visit to Germany (August 24),
he received a telephone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin,
according to the President’s Office press-service. The two Presidents
discussed prospects for developing bilateral Russo-Azeri relations and
some international issues. It is clear that both Washington and Moscow
realize that with the involvement of South Caucasus in the European
Union’s sphere of influence, they may completely lose control over
the region, which represents a key link between the Europe and Asian
countries possessing considerable resources. It is for this reason that
the EU has stepped up its role in settling the Upper Garabagh conflict
and the EU special envoy on South Caucasus states keeps paying visits
to the region. It appears that the European Union has not put forth
its own initiative on settling the conflict as yet. However, France,
a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, has already once attempted to
take matters in its own hands. It is not accidental that after the
meeting of Robert Kocharian and Heydar Aliyev in Paris, Washington has
immediately brokered talks between the two presidents in the United
States. Moreover, the EU is trying to lure the conflicting sides by
generous financial promises. EU high-ranking officials have stated
on many occasions that if a peace accord is signed, the European
Union will become actively involved in the process of eliminating
the consequences of the Upper Garabagh conflict. The united Europe is
ready to allocate $1 billion as financial assistance to rehabilitate
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. European nations realize very
well that all the expenses they incur will yield considerable benefits
in the future. If the developments unfold as planned, South Caucasus
countries will be ready to become part of the united Europe within
the next 10 years. In this case, the European Union will control all
transport communications connecting Europe with Asia and the Middle
East, including the Silk Road and North-South routes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress