BASESCU: "I AM VISITING AZERBAIJAN NOT WITH THE AIM OF DISCUSSING PROBLEMS, AS THERE ARE NONE"

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 10 2006

President of Romania Trajan Besescu’s exclusive interview to APA

– How do you appreciate the current relations between Azerbaijan
and Romania and what is your expectation for the forthcoming visit
to Azerbaijan?

– Romania and Azerbaijan have very good ties, covering all the fields
of bilateral cooperation, be they political, diplomatic, economic,
military or cultural. Of course, I believe there are many other issues
that our countries can cooperate on, such as bringing the bilateral
relations to the level of the political ones; however, the general
look is satisfactory.

My official visit to Baku is a sign of friendship from Romania, as
a neighbor country, to the Republic of Azerbaijan and its inhabitants.

I am visiting the Capital of Azerbaijan not with the aim of discussing
problems, as there are none, but to make the Baku authorities and
President Aliyev a political offer, in the spirit of friendship and
total openness: we would like to encourage Azerbaijan’s rapprochement
to the European and Euro-Atlantic structures, to support the
democratization internal efforts, the peaceful solving of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to international law principles
and norms, and also, generally, to offer a token of our wish and
political will of strengthening the bilateral ties at all levels.

– Presidents of Romania and Azerbaijan have to date signed some 20
documents within various official visits. Do you intend to sign any
documents during this visit?

– During my official visit, various documents will be signed, among
which: The Amending Protocol of the Agreement between the Government
of Romania and the Government of Republic of Azerbaijan on mutual
promotion and protection of investments; The Amending Protocol of
the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government
of Republic of Azerbaijan on trade and economic relations and
technical and scientific cooperation; Cooperation Memorandum between
the Public Finance Ministry Romanian and Tax Ministry of Azerbaijan;
The Joint Political Statement that I will sign together with President
Aliyev. This statement is extremely significant for the reiteration of
our mutual political will of consolidating ties between our countries.

– Azerbaijan signed an agreement in the sphere of energy with Ukraine
which envisages transferring the Caspian oil through Odessa-Brodi
pipeline. But, Romania proposed delivery of the Caspian oil to
Constanta port. Will this offer be in agenda again?

– With regard to hydrocarbons transport from the Caspian area
to Europe, we salute the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline, and soon, of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas-duct, that Romania
will benefit from, as well.

In relation to the Odessa-Brodi pipeline route and not only, I will
always plead for using the transport or transit capacities of the
Constanta port. Romania can be an entrance gate for Caspian gas and
oil into Europe and can be used as a transit country to Western Europe.

Otherwise, Europe energy’s security is an extremely important issue,
against the background of a significant increase of energy resources
demand; as an oil and natural gas importer, Romania is interested
in finding new import sources and alternative routes of hydrocarbons
transport.

Moreover, we are interested in identifying ways for ensuring the
feasability of Nabucco project. Azerbaijan can play an important part
as a secure transit country and supplier for this pipeline.

– Besides energy, in what spheres is Azerbaijan attractive for Romania?

– In our opinion, all fields are or can be interesting, in view
of cooperation between states that are, both, on an upwards track
of economic development. Romania is particularly interested in
strengthening our economic ties, as our trade exchange volume is quite
high – over 120 Million Dollars in 2005. The balance is unfavorable
to Romania; therefore, we would like to identify ways to increase our
export to Azerbaijan. Moreover, our interest also covers transport
cooperation; the first steps have already been made, in relation
to Black Sea and Danube merchandise transport from and to Caucasus
and Europe.

In my opinion, economic ties between our countries are in full
expansion. I believe that the Romanian part needs to make serious
efforts in order to re-establish the commercial balance, with a view
to increasing the exports to Azerbaijan. Moreover, I believe the
trade exchange volume – around 120 million dollars, is far below
the potential of our economies, that are going through a period of
significant increase. I am certain that the competent authorities
will find the ways of diversifying and strengthen the economic ties.

After its EU accession, Romania could become more interesting for
the Azeri business people, as an entrance gate for merchandise to
the European space.

– Azerbaijan and Romania enjoy military cooperation. Does Romania,
as a NATO state, intend to enlarge this cooperation?

– Firstly, I would like to congratulate Republic of Azerbaijan for
engaging in the Individual Action Plan with NATO. With regard to
your question, we would like to express our full availability to
support you in enforcing the plan, by sharing our experience in
preparing for the NATO accession. There already is a significant
legal frame in the field (cooperation agreement between the defense
ministries, agreement on cooperation in the military education field,
agreement on technical-military cooperation, agreement on protection
of mutually delivered military information); this framework and IPAP
will contribute to the strengthening of cooperation.

– Romania is one of the countries interested in GUAM. When can
Romania’s integration to GUAM come true?

– Romania’s interest for eastern neighborhood evolution is a natural
attitude of a state that is interested in supporting the objective
of the Euro-Atlantic cooperation that it is part of: expanding the
area of stability, security and prosperity, beyond EU and NATO borders.

This year, we saluted the transformation of GUAM into an international
organization – Organization for Democratization and Economic
Development – GUAM.

I believe that the regional structure ODED-GUAM is particularly
important for fighting the new threats to European security.

Cooperation between Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Republic of
Moldova in fields such as enhancing the security climate, creating a
free-trade area, cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons transport
and transit, based on projects such as TRACECA and INOGATE is extremely
important.

I would like to salute the interest of GUAM states for the frozen
conflicts that are sources of instability for the region and
burning points with a high potential of spreading the insecurity
beyond their borders. There is a need for energetic measures and
joint cooperation plans of fighting these threats. To this end, I
would like to congratulate the GUAM member states for their recent UN
General Assembly initiative of promoting a resolution on the so-called
~Dfrozen conflicts" that have been fairly enough called ~Dprotracted
conflicts". I would like to remind you that Romania has been one of
the supporters of the resolution project.

I do not believe that we should consider the possibility of Romania’s
accession to GUAM. However, given that the GUAM region is adjacent
to the geographical space that Romania is part of , I can say that
we will involve actively in view of substantiating an efficient
cooperation between GUAM member-states, as we have already proven
within the UN framework.

– Romania is one step far from the EU membership. How do you value
Azerbaijan’s perspectives for accession to this organization? How
can you help Azerbaijan in this way?

– Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Republic of Azerbaijan’s
leadership, and to personally congratulate President Aliyev for the
official recognition of Azerbaijan’s European aspirations by the
European Commission. Moreover, I am expressing my hope that EU and
Azerbaijan negotiations on the Individual Action Plan, part of the
European Neighborhood Policy, will be concluded during the term of
Finnish chairmanship.

We believe the development of structural cooperation ties between EU
and Azerbaijan, part of the New European Neighborhood Policy (ENP),
and Romania’s status of a future EU member-state can complement and
strengthen the bilateral ties between Romania and Azerbaijan.

We are expressing our full availability to share the know-how that we
acquired in the period of pre-adhesion to Euro-Atlantic and European
structures. We are expressing our availability to initiate contacts at
the level of competent ministries. I am certain that, upon the wish
expressed by the Baku authorities, the Romanian part will respond
efficiently, presenting a concrete offer concerning the training of
young specialists.

– How did you Moldova find the referendum in Transdnistria?

– Besides officially disapproving the conflict, Romania reiterated the
support for strengthening the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Republic of Moldova, as fundamental principles in solving the
Transdnistria conflicts and multilaterally supported Republic of
Moldova’s efforts to obtain a public disapproval of the referendum.

I would like to underline that the referendum is illegal, according
to international law and Republic of Moldova constitutional law and,
subsequently, its results have no political or legal relevance.

I believe that the referendum has strict political purposes,
particularly, undermining the international community efforts for
solving the conflict and resumption of the 5+2 negotiations. To this
end, I believe that Tiraspol’s propensity for unilateral measures
(as this is not the first referendum organized by them) has to be
unanimously and firmly disapproved by the international community.