Azerbaijan, Baku, March 14 /Trend S.Agayeva/
"There are good relationships between Germany and Azerbaijan, and our government wants to ensure that these relationships were long" German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said at press-conference in Baku on Wednesday.
"The media in Germany are free and independent; our government has no control over their work. There are different views about Azerbaijan in Germany and the majority appreciated the achievements of Azerbaijan. Germany is ready to continue to support Azerbaijan in the democratic process," Westerwelle said, commenting the recent negative articles about Azerbaijan in the German media.
Foreign Minister of Germany Guido Westerwelle discussed the situation in Syria, Iran's nuclear program and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Baku. Westerwelle said about it at a briefing after talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
"Azerbaijan is an important strategic partner of Germany. The two countries successfully cooperate in the political and economic spheres, particularly in the energy sector," Westerwelle said. He noted that there is great potential for development in this area.
"Germany considers Azerbaijan not only as a country with rich energy resources, but also as a transit country," the Foreign Minister of Germany said.
"Azerbaijan and Germany, as members of the UN Security Council, collaborate on important international issues, such as the situation in Syria and Iran's nuclear program," Westerwelle said. He noted that the issue of Iran's nuclear program is very important for Germany. "We don't want nuclear energy to be used in the armed forces" Westerwelle added.
Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the German Foreign Minister said that this issue occupies one of the important places in the talks in Baku. "Germany supports the peaceful resolution of the conflict and believes that peace and stability is important for all countries in the region" Westerwelle said.
The two countries signed a memorandum on the establishment of the Azerbaijani-German Chamber of Commerce during the visit of the Germany foreign Minister. A document was signed by Foreign Ministers of both countries.
The Commissioner of the Government of Germany for Human Rights Markus Löning filed charges against Baku in human rights abuses in an interview with Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung with regard to the upcoming Eurovision - 2012 which will be held in Baku in May.