Berlin, Germany, June 7
By Sevil Mikayilova - Trend:
The Azerbaijan-Germany business forum kicked off in Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy June 7, Trend's correspondent reported.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who was participating at the event, delivered a speech.
In particular he spoke about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, noting that the United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions demanding withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijan's territory, but these resolutions are not being implemented.
The president noted that Azerbaijan is facing double policy, since in some cases the resolutions are implemented within days, while in case with Azerbaijan they have not been implemented for more than 20 years.
Ilham Aliyev further noted that unfortunately sanctions are not imposed on Armenian government. He added that the resolution of the conflict should be based on territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The president went on to say that despite this, Azerbaijan has managed to develop successfully, and the country will be celebrating 25 years of independence this year.
Noting that Azerbaijan has implemented political and economic reforms, President Aliyev said that all the fundamental freedoms are provided in the country, including freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.
The president reminded that with the support from 155 countries, Azerbaijan became a non-resident member to the UN Security Council, and that is the appreciation and international support that the country received.
Reminding that Azerbaijan declared the 2016 as the Year of Multiculturalism, the president said that Azerbaijan is a modern, self-sufficient country, with diversified economy.
Speaking on economy, the president said that Azerbaijan's economy has been growing rapidly in recent years.
"Economic growth in Azerbaijan since 2004 was 300 percent," he said, adding that the country managed to lower the poverty and unemployment level, which are both now around 5 percent both.
The president went on to add that Azerbaijan is focusing on developing its non-oil sector. He reminded that since 1994 Azerbaijan is implementing mega energy projects, which, for the first time, are connecting Azerbaijan to Black and Mediterranean seas via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Supsa oil pipelines.
Ilham Aliyev further noted that Azerbaijan's gas pipelines allow the country to export its gas to neighboring countries - Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Iran.
The president then spoke about the Southern Gas Corridor project, which started in 2012, when Azerbaijan and Turkey signed an agreement on construction of the Trans Anatolian pipeline.
Since then, many other projects were initiated, including the construction of the Trans Adriatic pipeline, which is the part of the Southern Gas Corridor, said the president. He added that the Southern Gas Corridor for Azerbaijan is a chance to diversify its resources supply, for transit countries it is an opportunity to earn money.
The president said that the project's advantage is not only diversification of routes, but also diversification of sources.
He went on to say that for Azerbaijan energy factor is not a priority, as Azerbaijan is leaning towards developing its non-energy sector, diversifying the economy.
Diversification of Azerbaijan's export potential is issue number one, said the president, adding that the country is working closely with international financial institutions to implement necessary economic reforms.
He informed the participants of the forum that since 1995, $200 billion has been invested in Azerbaijan, with half of that amount being foreign investments.
The president said that the development of agriculture is of priority to Azerbaijan, as almost half of the country's population lives in rural areas.
Further speaking of Azerbaijan's achievements, the president touched upon the space sphere, saying that Azerbaijan has become a country with a space industry, launching two satellites into space.
The president expressed hope that the forum will lead to more cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany not only in economic areas. He wished the forum success.