Baku, London enjoy fruitful interaction

An event marking the 25th anniversary of recognition of Azerbaijan`s state independence by UK`s Government was marked at the British Embassy Baku.

UK Ambassador Carole Crofts, addressing the event, said that the bilateral relations between the two countries cover all areas of cooperation.

She noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and the UK have solid basis, adding that the two countries share experience and carry out mutual dialogue.

The diplomat said this created the basis for development of mutual cooperation. Crofts also spoke about the visit of the British Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy for Azerbaijan Baroness Emma Nicholson.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, for his part, said that the Azerbaijani government and people praise the decision adopted by the British government 25 years ago to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence.

The Deputy FM said this created basis for the development and expansion of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Mammad-Guliyev also noted that over the past years, Azerbaijan has been developing its oil sector and hundreds of companies entered the country`s market.

The Deputy FM also stressed the importance of carrying out the regular meetings for discussing the expansion of relations.

Baroness Nicholson said that the UK is the fifth country, which recognized Azerbaijan’s independence.

Nicholson added that she is happy of being the UK’s trade envoy for Azerbaijan, emphasizing that it is great honor for her to take part in building more stable relations between the UK and Azerbaijan.

“There are many spheres, in which Azerbaijan and the UK cooperates,” she said.

The trade envoy added that she has spent three very positive and fruitful days in Baku and had many meetings.

The UK and Azerbaijan enjoy cooperation in different spheres such as education, trade, tourism, ICT, as well as other infrastructure and transit projects.

The cooperation in the energy sector is currently the key factor of the bilateral economic relations between the two countries. Azerbaijan cooperates with the United Kingdom in the field of exploration and transportation of oil and natural gas from the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. BP as a leading oil company, which has launched its operations in Azerbaijan in 1992, participates in the main production sharing agreements such as the “Contract of Century” (Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli) and the Shah Deniz project.

The Azerbaijani State Customs Committee reported that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UK amounted to 418.06 million manats in January-August 2016, which is 1.5 times more than in the same period of 2015.