Finnish foreign minister calls for closer ties with Azerbaijan
AP Worldstream
Oct 04, 2004
Finland’s foreign minister on Monday called for closer ties between
his country and Azerbaijan, saying bilateral trade could soon reach
US$50 million (Aâ=82¬40 million), news agencies reported.
Speaking after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart and other
top officials, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said Finland was deeply
concerned about stability in the Caucasus region, which has been
plagued by instability since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the early 1990s that ended with
a cease-fire in 1994. No final settlement has been reached, however,
as the two countries remain at odds over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave,
which Armenian forces seized from Azerbaijan.
Tuomioja said annual trade between Finland and Azerbaijan is currently
about US$5 million (Aâ=82¬4 million). He said that figure could
increase tenfold in coming years, particularly in the communications
and information technology sectors.
“Before today, there has been no tangible advancement in trade
relations between our countries,” Tuomioja said in remarks broadcast
on local television.
Prime Minister Artus Rasi-zade said Finland’s best opportunity for
increased trade with Azerbaijan would come in the oil and gas sector,
Azerbaijani news agencies reported.
Located on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, which produced half the
world’s oil in the early 1900s, controls some of the largest proven
reserves of oil andgas in the world.
On Tuesday, Tuomioja flies to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, for talks
with Armenian officials.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress