Lukashenka to Exchange Russia for Azerbaijan? :: Charter'97 :: News

Alyaksandr Lukashenka sees considerable prospects in development of bilateral cooperation with Azerbajan in the sphere of oil and gas trade, and in realization of joint projects in industry and power engineering. “Azerbaijan’s large scale deposits of oil and gas, and Belarus’ modern powerful equipment of petrochemical complexes are the basis for development of mutually beneficial cooperation in power engineering in the future,” A. Lukashenka said during the negotiations with Azerbaijan’s President Ilkham Aliyev, in Minsk.

As said by Lukashenka, the two countries “have a possibility to realize joint projects in field development and production of oil and gas”. “I have already received a principal support of Azerbaijani president today,” A. Lukashenka said.

As informed by Interfax, Lukashenka expressed interest of the Belarusian side in increase volume of oil pipelined through Belarus, including Caspian one. “We are ready to provide infrastructure for transit of Caspian oil to Baltic states and Poland, if it would be profitable for Azerbaijan,” Belarusian president said.

Besides, as said by him, in modern conditions it is important to develop cooperation and create joint production based on the potential our countries possess”.

The Belarusian leader believes that “the dynamics of goods exchanges growth is good, but it is insignificant in absolute figures. We can increase volume of trade in several times,” A. Lukashenka believes. He underlined once again, that “there are no closed topics in our relations”.

Besides, as said by Lukashenka, “Azerbaijan has huge financial resources, investing them in industry, agriculture, road infrastructure. For Azerbaijan our presence in these spheres could be relevant,” the Belarusian leader said.

He is sure that the draft Treaty on Social and Economic cooperation between Belarus and Azerbaijan until 2015 and a number of other agreements “would make it possible to reach a qualitatively new level of interaction aimed at the future”.

In his turn, Ilkham Aliyev believes that “cooperation in power industry, oil and gas industry, in agriculture and arms industry have practical importance and realization”. “Our economies are developing dynamically, which contributes to enhancement of trade and economic relations,” the president of Azerbaijan said. He said: “Our economies can successfully supplement each other”.

Ilkham Aliyev reminded that his visit to Belarus had been planned to be brought into coincidence with the CIS summit. “But the visit to Belarus is more important. That is why, when the summit was rescheduled, it was out of the question that the visit to Belarus could have been rescheduled,” Azerbaijani president said.