BAKU, TOKYO SIGN CO-OP DEALS DURING ALIYEV’S VISIT

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
March 16 2006

Azerbaijan and Japan signed three agreements in conclusion of President
Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to this country on Friday.

The documents concluded at Aliyev’s meeting with the Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi included a joint declaration on future
development of friendship and cooperation, as well as an agreement
on technical interaction and a program on collaboration between the
two countries’ foreign ministries.

Koizumi told a joint news conference following the signing ceremony
that Azerbaijan and Japan adhere to common positions on all issues.

Official Baku supports Japan on the issue of permanent membership
at the United Nations, while Tokyo supports the inviolability of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity with regard to the Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh conflict it faces with Armenia, Koizumi said. The prime
minister emphasized that Azeri economic growth has reached 26%,
which is at least ten times over the figure observed in his country.

President Aliyev said his discussions with the Japanese official
focused on issues of regional security, stability and the Garabagh
conflict. He said Azerbaijan has extensive plans to further move
forward its economic development and intends to closely cooperate with
the Oriental nation in this area. Addressing Japan’s Institute of
International Affairs, Aliyev said any attempts to impose democracy
could have serious consequences. “Exporting democracy does not
work. This must be an evolutionary and transitional process.

Democratic development should be based on the realities of society,
while attempts to export democracy only lead to social and political
problems, and the disruption of stability.” The Azeri leader met on
Friday with the heads of Japan’s Itochu and Inpex oil companies and
the president of the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation. The
foreign investors indicated that Azerbaijan is a very attractive
country and pledged to further deepen their ties with it. Aliyev also
held talks with Emperor Akihito. This was the first visit by an Azeri
leader to Japan since 1998 when former president Heydar Aliyev visited
this country.

Non-oil co-op prospects Regional development is a priority direction
for Azerbaijan and the country is aspiring to Japanese companies’
involvement in the process, President Aliyev said. Addressing a
Japanese-Azeri business forum in Tokyo, Aliyev emphasized that
Japanese companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars
in the country’s energy sector, but there are good opportunities
for cooperation in other fields as well. “There is a need to
apply new technologies to develop various spheres of the non-oil
sector. We would very much like for Japanese companies to be
involved in introducing them,” the president said. Touching upon the
implementation of large-scale investment programs in agriculture,
education and healthcare in 2006, Aliyev called on Japan’s companies
to participate in these activities as well. He also underscored the
need for a more active realization of technical assistance and other
programs in Azerbaijan by the Japanese government. Representatives
of some 30 Azeri and 100 Japanese companies attended the forum. The
two countries’ entrepreneurs signed two agreements on cooperation in
conclusion of the event. One of them, reached by Azerbaijan’s Karvan-L
company engaged in producing paints and roofing slate, envisions the
export of paints worth $1 million to Japan. New technologies will
be brought from Japan under another document signed by Azerbaijan’s
Khazar joint-stock company.

An exhibition of local products was also organized during the forum,
attended by local companies operating in information technologies,
the banking sector, business consulting, agriculture and other fields.