TREND Information, Azerbaijan
July 14 2006
Romania supports independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan – Romanian President Bãsescu
Source: Trend
Author: А.Mammadova
14.07.2006
Exclusive interview of Trend with Romanian President Traian Bãsescu
Question: How do you estimate the current level of bilateral
relationship between Azerbaijan and Romania? Did you achieve any
essential result during the meeting with the President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev in Bucharest?
Answer: As Head of the Romanian state, I am satisfied with the very
good level of the political relations, that was reconfirmed both by
the last official visit to Romania of president Ilham Aliyev as well
as on each and every meeting we had during the last year and a half.
We come with a new proposal meant to confer dynamism and substance
to the bilateral economic relations, building on the excellent basis
offered by the political dimension. If we are going to make a profound
study of the current and future status of the bilateral Romanian-Azeri
relations, it would result that this sector of the economic relations
needs to be consolidated. At the same time, I attach a particular
importance to the quality of the interpersonal relations between
our peoples, to the openness that exists on both sides regarding the
consolidation of the relations between our citizens.
During our last bilateral meeting in June the 5th, due to the
limited time, President Aliyev and I didn’t have the possibility to
go deeply into issues of mutual concern, we only have an overview of
the bilateral relations; this detailed analysis will be made during
the official visit that I will pay to Azerbaijan, at the beginning
of October, this year.
We welcomed the beginning of the negotiations between the European
Union and Azerbaijan concerning the Individual Action Plan, included
in the European Neighborhood Policy and also Azerbaijan’s engagement
in the Individual Action Plan with NATO. We reiterated our support for
the efforts of the Baku authorities to conclude and to adopt these
plans as soon as possible. We also manifested our availability to
share the expertise that Romania gained in the period prior to the
accession to the European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
We appreciated the economic relations have not reached the potential
of the two states’ economies. We hope that the meeting, in Baku, of
the second session of the Intergovernmental Commission for technical
and scientifical cooperation, in June, has indicated the need for
progress in this direction. The final result of all these endeavors
will be counted and analyzed this fall, on the occasion of my official
visit to Azerbaijan. Then, we will see which of these are feasible
and deserve our sustained involvement.
Question: How do you estimate the totals of the summit "Black Sea
Forum for dialogue and partnership", held in Bucharest at the beginning
of June?
Answer: The Black Sea region is the number one priority of Romania’s
regional policy. We consider that the region is an area with a
significant potential, yet undiscovered and unexploited, whose security
is directly linked to the security of the European and Euro-Atlantic
space, especially regarding the soft security and energy risks.
We are convinced that, both for Romania and for Azerbaijan, the Black
Sea represents an area of particular importance: a gateway towards
the European and Euro-Atlantic space. This is the most direct link
between Europe and Azerbaijan and therefore, we believe that it is
in your country’s interest to contribute to the improvement of the
existent instruments that connect the Black Sea region to Europe
(these are often limited to bilateral and sectorial instruments).
We believe that for the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Black Sea forum
for Dialogue and Partnership will be an useful instrument in order to
deepen the cooperation at the regional level or to attract new partners
both from the European and Euro-Atlantic area, as well as the private
sector, into the region, so that the regions’ priorities and needs
identified by the regions’ states should be reached and fulfilled.
Regarding the first summit of the Forum which took place in Bucharest,
in June the 5th, we appreciated that it represented a first step
in materializing our joint efforts to reunite the political will of
the states on the need to sustain the initiatives coming from inside
the region. The citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia,
Greece, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine
are being creative and wish to do something from the region they live
in. In order to meet their demands, we have to offer the support of
the governmental sector. This is a process that we hope will shorten
the path between initiatives and debates and their translation into
practice.
Question: How do you estimate the activities of GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine,
Azerbaijan, Moldova)? Is Romania expected to enter this organization?
Answer: The interest Romania has regarding the evolutions in its
East represents the natural attitude of a member state preoccupied to
support the objective of the Euro-Atlantic community: to expand the
area of stability, security and prosperity beyond the frontiers of
EU and of NATO. Recently, I had the pleasure, through the voice of
Romania’s minister of foreign affairs, to greet the transformation
of GUAM into an international organization – the Organization for
Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM. We express our best wishes
for the success of all the activities that will be carried out under
this new framework.
I consider that ODDE-GUAM is a regional structure relevant for the
critical need to fight the new risks to the European security. Also the
importance of the cooperation between Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and
the Republic of Moldova is critical in fields such as the improvement
of the security climate, the hydrocarbons transportation and transit
towards the rest of Europe, having as main projects TRACECA and
INOGATE.
I welcome the interest of the GUAM states concerning the frozen
conflicts, true sources of instability for the region and sources of
insecurity beyond their own frontiers. Decisive actions and common
plans of cooperation are needed in order to fight these threats.
I don’t think you have to consider the possibility of Romania’s joining
GUAM. This is an organization that fits a certain geographical profile
which Romania doesn’t belong to. Although, due to the fact that the
GUAM’ region is adjacent to the geographical space that Romania belongs
to, I can affirm that we are going to actively support deepened and
efficient cooperation between the GUAM member states.
Question: What role could Azerbaijan plan in the provision of energy
security of Europe, including Romania?
Answer: Europe’s energy security is an issue of particular importance
in the context of increased demand for energy resources and Romania,
as an country importing oil and natural gas is interested to identify
new sources of import and alternative routes of transportation.
We are interested in identifying the ways in which the Nabucco project
will be feasible. Azerbaijan can and should play an important role in
this respect both as a country of safe transit as well as a provider
for this pipeline.
Romania is interested in developing a closed cooperation with
Azerbaijan in the energy field. We analyze the possibility to sign
a bilateral agreement between the relevant ministries that will
formalize prior identified projects of cooperation in the industrial
and energy sector. I am sure that these projects will be put on the
agenda before my official visit to Baku.
Question: Does Romania support territorial integrity of Azerbaijan?
What are your visions about the ways and perspectives of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement?
Answer: Of course. As I always stated on every occasion, Romania
supports the independence, sovereignty and the territorial integrality
of Azerbaijan.
I consider that frozen conflicts in the Eastern neighbourhood are
both a symptom and a test: a symptom of Eastern Europe’s troubled
history and a test of NATO and the EU’s ability to bring stability
and security to the region.
If we looked at a map of unsettled conflicts, we would see that
there is a constantly fuelled arch of instability in the Black Sea
region, which generates more serious security problems, such as arms
trafficking, trafficking in human beings, trans-border crime, the
undermining of democratic institutions and widespread human rights
violations. This unpleasant reality underscores the importance of
multiple, co-ordinated action from the wider international community
to settle frozen conflicts.
There is no unique, universal solution to frozen conflicts. The
conflicts in Transdnister, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh or South Ossetia
are different, so the solutions, too, should be different.
Regardless of whether we are acting through the EU or NATO or other
possible formats, our actions need to be adapted to each and every
situation, starting from the cause of the conflict, the political,
social, economic specificity and a clear understanding of the
position of all the players involved We consider that 2006 has to
be put into value as a unique window of opportunity in the process
of Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and, in this respect, I welcome the
positive results of the meeting that took place in Bucharest.
I am honored that the two presidents have decided to meet in Bucharest,
in the framework offered by the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and
Partnership, whose main purpose is to promote a culture of dialogue
and cooperation within this region.
I consider that the Minsk process needs an input both from the
international organizations as well as the regional actors. Romania
wishes to bring its contribution to provide the right climate for
the continuation of negotiations between the two countries situated
in its neighborhood. The meeting that took place in Bucharest itself
sustains the rationale for which Romania considered that the process
of the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership is needed.
Romania is not a directly involved partner, but as an OSCE member
state follows closely the evolutions linked to the Prague process, from
the perspective of its expanded regional interests. The conflict has
multiple facets and the solution will have the same characteristics. We
are ready that, together with the international organizations’
expertise, to share, at our turn, from the experience gained in the
field of ensuring national minorities rights, when the time comes.
Romania is the advocate of a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict by fully taking into account the diplomatic instruments
available. We express our hope that the Bucharest meeting will be the
beginning of a new encouraging framework for discussions that will
mark real progress and even an agreement upon precise steps meant to
accelerate the negotiations. Your success will represent the success
of the whole Black Sea region, the success of each country belonging
to this region.
I can assure you that you benefit from Romania’s support especially
because, as I stated before, we understand very well the issues
you are facing. The Romanians are in a similar situation, generated
by unfortunate solutions from the Soviet era – the frozen conflict
of Transdnister.
The solution we identified is to sustain, in each instances we have
at our disposal, the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the
Republic of Moldova. Within the EU, the frontiers, irrespective of
their nature, disappear. We encourage you to keep going on this path.
The first steps have already been taken, through the opening of the
negotiations regarding the Individual Action Plans with your countries.
–Boundary_(ID_JHdqVAsNBWuVScW91kHcPg) —