DRNOVSEK AND ALIYEV DISCUSS ENERGY COOPERATION

EASTBUSINESS.ORG
August 29, 2006 Tuesday 5:01 PM (Central European Time)

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 Slovenian host and counterpart Janez Drnovsek
in Brdo pri Kranju Tuesday.

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 Nagorni Karabakh, a disputed region
in the west of Azerbaijaninhabited 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 Nagorno 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 Slovenian 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 EUR 5 million in
2005, yet the number presents a substantial increase on the figure
in 2004, which stood at EUR 1.8 million. In the first four months of
2006, Slovenian exports to Azerbaijan amounted to EUR 1.12 million,
a 54.7-per-cent increase year-on-year.