BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. An Austrian online newspaper Dasfazit.at published an article titled "President Ilham Aliyev turned Azerbaijan into a serious energy power", dedicated to the visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Bulgaria to participate in the opening ceremony of the Greece-Bulgaria Gas Interconnector (IGB), as well as the prospects for developing relations with both Bulgaria, and with the European Union as a whole.
The article notes that the steps taken by President Ilham Aliyev to date in the field of ensuring the energy security of Europe contribute to strengthening the international reputation of the state, and also make a great contribution to building the image of a reliable partner.
According to the article, the visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Bulgaria is significant in this regard for several reasons. Firstly, the steps taken by the head of state in the field of realizing the country's energy potential and expanding new strategic partnerships fully resonate with the country's national interests. Secondly, do not forget that Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and the NATO bloc, and this, in turn, makes building relations in this direction of particular importance. As a confirmation of the deepening relations between the two countries, the article mentions the joint declaration "On the strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Bulgaria", which was signed during the visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Bulgaria in 2015. Thirdly, the development of relations with Bulgaria can be assessed as a trigger that will further promote the expansion of relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union. Fourthly, the strategic position of Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea and Bulgaria on the Black Sea is also another significant foundation factor that can open a new window of opportunity.
It is emphasized that Azerbaijan already plays the role of an important player that is actively involved in the processes of redrawing the energy map of Europe, and that a striking example of this is the launch of the TAP and TANAP projects laid down many years ago, which is presented in the publication as a result of the successful and far-sighted policy of President Ilham Aliyev .
The article said that IGB will also help increase the volume of transportation from Azerbaijan to Europe.
Moreover, the Middle Corridor project is also mentioned, as well as the East-West transit corridor, in the implementation of which both countries are extremely interested, and confidence is expressed that all necessary efforts will be made to implement the mentioned projects.
It is concluded that all the above significant events once again confirm how the countries of Europe, which have an important strategic position, are interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan and are ready to continue to maintain the existing dynamics of expansion. Moreover, it is emphasized that all these initiatives of the head of state serve as a huge contribution to strengthening the geopolitical positions of Azerbaijan.