Azeri envoy to India to focus on improving economic ties

ANS TV, Baku
7 Nov 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijan’s newly-appointed ambassador to India, Tamerlan
Qarayev, is expected to submit his credentials to the Indian president
today. Mr Qarayev said before his departure to India that he had
already resolved financial problems pertaining to the opening of the
embassy.

[Correspondent over video of scenes in India] Azerbaijan should
reconsider its relations with India. The reason is that bilateral
economic and commercial relations are at a very low
level. Azerbaijan’s newly-appointed ambassador to India, Tamerlan
Qarayev, says that it is possible to hope for relatively increased
cooperation after the opening of the embassy in that country.

[Tamerlan Qarayev speaking at a news conference] Our economic
relations are still not at the satisfactory level, and one of the main
tasks the [Azerbaijani] president has set us and the embassy is to
expand and deepen economic relations. As for relations, after the
embassy opens and starts operating there, we will try to maintain good
relations.

[Correspondent] Mr Qarayev also said that he had already been to India
once and had conducted consultations about the premises of the
embassy.

[Qarayev] After that, I returned and resolved some financial issues
here. I am now leaving and from now on, there are certain ideas to
rent an office and a residence in the future. Two of my employees have
already started working there. The remaining employees will go there
at the beginning of the next year.

[Correspondent] Unfortunately, Armenia opened its embassy in India
before Azerbaijan: it has had an embassy there for five years now. But
Qarayev thinks that the Azerbaijani lobby will become stronger with
the opening of the embassy there and work will be carried out at least
to make up lost ground.

[Passage omitted: repeating the same ideas]

Ayaz Mirzayev and Emil Babaxanov for ANS.