Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 April / Trend, A. Taghiyeva /
Libya and Azerbaijan, as two countries with rich reserves of hydrocarbons, may jointly implement a number of oil and gas projects, the Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation of Libya Mohammed Al-Fituri Swalem told Trend.
"Azerbaijan and Libya have a high potential for cooperation in the field of oil and gas both at the state and private sector levels," Swalem said.
According to him, Libya welcomes investments from Azerbaijan, in particular, in the energy sector. Thus, among the projects that Azerbaijan could implement in Libya are ones pertaining to the exploration, production and refining of oil.
There is a need for the development and modernization of oil refineries in Libya, as well as for the construction of new refineries. Azerbaijani companies could invest in this sector, Swalem said.
Swalem also noted the good state of relations between Azerbaijan and Libya.
"There is a desire between these countries to strengthen relations and enhance their level of cooperation," he said.
The Minister also pointed out that Libya supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Baku's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Azerbaijan, like Libya, is a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, so Libya's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict doubtlessly coincides with the position of Azerbaijan", Swalem said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.