Budapest attaches great importance to developing ties with Baku

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Laszlo Kover, the speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, visited Azerbaijan to promote further cooperation and the development of bilateral ties between the two countries.

Highlighting that Hungary attaches great importance to developing relations with Azerbaijan, Kover said during his visit that cooperation with Baku in ensuring energy security is very important for Budapest.

Kover embarked on a visit to Azerbaijan on June 16, AzerTag news agency reported.

Hailing Azerbaijan as the leading country in the South Caucasus, the official said Hungary, as a member of the European Union, considers Azerbaijan a strategic partner in the region.

“Azerbaijan is one of the most important partners of the European Union in the region,” he said, adding the EU should accord great importance to its relationship with Azerbaijan as the country is a vital country in the region in terms of ensuring energy security.

As part of Baku visit, the Hungarian delegation was received by Prime Minister Arthur Rasizade on June 17.

Rasizade hailed the advanced bilateral relations between the two countries, noting necessary steps were taken for further enhancing ties.

The Azerbaijani premier said that the Azerbaijani people highly appreciate Hungary's principled position on many issues, stressing the importance of expanding cooperation in industry, transport, tourism, humanitarian aid, and other spheres.

Speaking about the dynamic development of the Azerbaijani economy, Rasizade said that the main problem that the country faces is the unresolved Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is a result of double standards on number of international issues.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. After a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Furthermore, noting the profound importance of Azerbaijan’s economy for the European Union, Kover called the First European Games, which started on June 12 and will last until June 28, an important historical event.

He congratulated Azerbaijan on the successful organization of the Games and expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Hungarian athletes.

The development of bilateral relations between the two countries was also discussed during the meeting between Parliamentary Speaker Ogtay Asadov and the delegation headed by Kover.

Asadov stressed the importance of expanding economic cooperation, saying that the two countries have great potential in the economic field. He added that an increase has been observed in this area.

He also noted that the two countries enjoy high level inter-parliamentary relations and support each other in international parliamentary organizations.

Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Asadov said Azerbaijan is in favor of the conflict’s peaceful resolution.

He added that the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other international organizations adopted a decision urging Armenia to withdraw from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories; however, Yerevan continues its policy of aggression.

Asadov also stated that the Hungary-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary friendship group is preparing a resolution on the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands. He said the resolution will be considered in the near future, expressing the will of the Hungarian parliament’s consideration of the Khojaly genocide.

Kover, for his part said Hungary supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He noted that international community should make a serious effort to solve the problem and that all resolutions on the conflict must be enforced.

Azerbaijan-Hungarian relations are developing successfully. The two countries have signed almost 40 documents thus far. There is a huge capacity for the development of trade and economic cooperation, as Hungarian companies consider the Azerbaijani market as an alternative to the Russian market, on the background of EU sanctions. Hungary is also a good platform for Azerbaijani investors.

Moreover, the governments of both countries have expressed interest in increasing bilateral trade.

Cooperation between the two countries covers areas such as industry, energy, tourism, agriculture, trade, environmental protection, water management, ICT, culture, sports, science and others.

The trade turnover between the two countries in 2014 increased 2.9 times, and from January-February 2015 amounted to 2,881 million dollars, according to Azerbaijan’s data.