SLOVENE, AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENTS DISCUSS ENERGY COOPERATION

STA news agency, Ljubljana
28 Aug 06

Brdo pri Kranju, 28 August: Azeri President Ilham Aliyev stressed that
good possibilities are opening up for cooperation between Azerbaijan
and the EU in the field of energy, as he met his Slovene host and
counterpart Janez Drnovsek in Brdo pri Kranju on Monday [28 August].

The presidents also shared a view that the two countries have a
lot of leeway in developing cooperation in the fields of politics,
business and culture.

Drnovsek told the press after meeting Aliyev that they also discussed
the situation in Nagornyy Karabakh, a disputed region in the west of
Azerbaijan settled mainly by ethnic Armenians.

Drnovsek said that he hopes the situation in the region, with ownership
claims coming from Azerbaijan and neighbouring Armenia, would be
resolved soon and offered Slovenia’s help in solving the issue.

According to Drnovsek, it is also in the EU’s interest to solve
the issue as soon as possible. He believes that the leaders of the
neighbouring countries are capable of solving it by themselves.

Aliyev meanwhile presented Azerbaijan’s take on the Nagornyy Karabakh
issue, stressing that his country wants to solve the dispute –
a threat to the development of the entire region – in line with
international standards.

Azerbaijan also insists that Armenia unconditionally withdraws its
forces from the region, Aliyev added.

He also pointed out that with its natural resources Azerbaijan presents
an important state for securing Europe’s energy independence.

Drnovsek said that there is a great potential for Slovene companies
to take part in Azerbaijan’s development.

As an EU member, Slovenia is also ready to help the Asian state in
building institutions in line with European standards and pass its
experience on establishing contact with the EU, he added.

Trade between the two countries amounted to a mere 5m euros in 2005,
yet the number presents a substantial increase on the figure in 2004,
which stood at 1.8m euros.

In the first four months of 2006, Slovene exports to Azerbaijan
amounted to 1.12m euros, a 54.7 per cent increase year on
year. [Passage omitted]