Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Agayeva / The Head of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Protocol Department, Pervin Mirzazade, briefed the media on 29 August that Qatar and Belgium are planning to open embassies in Azerbaijan by the end of the year.
According to him, the heads of the two countries have already voiced their wishes. According to Mirzazade, the list of countries that are planning to open diplomatic missions in Azerbaijan also include Spain, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. He said that Turkmenistan intends to re-establish the activity of its embassy in Azerbaijan.
Turkmenistan's embassy ceased activity in Baku in June 1999 after failure to reach an agreement on the disputable Kapaz field which is located in the Caspian between the two countries. According to information by the Ministry of Industry and Energy of Azerbaijan, the renewable reserves of the Kapaz field equals 50mln tons of oil. The field was opened during the term of the Soviet Union by Azerbaijani oil workers. The American company Chevron and German company Wintershall are keen to develop the field.
In addition, the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan plans to open consulates in several large cities. A representation is planned to be opened in Yekaterinburg in the near future. According to Mirzazade, by the end of the year, the embassies of Azerbaijan will start to function in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Qatar and Kyrgyzia.
He said that over recent years positive tendencies have been observed in foreign policy of Azerbaijan with regards to Arab countries. Mirzazade explained it through Azerbaijan's wish to strengthen its position in the Arab world, as well as in Organization of the Islamic Conference and in the international arena.