Ilham Aliyev’s visits to Greece and Slovenia delayed

The Greek side has not received an official response for the invitation from the Azerbaijani side. The official invitation of the Greek President, Karolos Panulias to the Azerbaijani President Aliyev to pay an official visit to Greece in May was sent to the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan.

 The exact date of the visit will be coordinated through the diplomatic channels, the source said. During the visit discussion of prospects for bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Greece in all spheres is planned. The sides will exchange opinions on issues of international and regional character, on widening cooperation in energy, transport, agriculture and other spheres.   

 Four bilateral documents, covering development of cooperation in trade-economic, humanitarian and cultural fields are planned to sign. The sides are currently working at the drafts agreements.   

 The Azerbaijan President Aliyev paid an unofficial visit to Greece in summer 2004, where he watched the Olympic Games in Athena as a private guest of the former Greek President, Konstantinos Stefanopulos. And in autumn 2004 Stefanopulos paid the first official visit to Azerbaijan. The present President Panulias was elected for this post this year.  

Official visit of Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev to Slovenia is to be paid at later stage. The agency Trend reports, the chief of department of foreign relations of executive administration of the president of Azerbaijan Novruz Mammadov informed about this.

He said, postponement of the visit is connected with health problems of Slovenia’s president, as for proposed visit of the Azerbaijan president to Croatia and Slovenia, N.Mammadov said, visit to Croatia is to be paid at earlier scheduled date.

N. Mammadov mentioned, meantime number of bilateral documents and areas, where signing is to be held, is not known.