President Ilham Aliyev hosted an official dinner reception in honor of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
The Presidents delivered remarks at the reception.
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
- Dear Viktor Fyodorovych!
Dear guests and dear friends!
I am happy to welcome all our guests to Azerbaijan once more. Today is a very remarkable day in the history of our relations. Ukrainian President Viktor Fyodorovych Yanukovych is paying his first visit to Azerbaijan as president.
We have known Viktor Fyodorovych for a long time. The Azerbaijani people know him as our friend. He has visited our country in previous years, but is here now for the first time as president.
Naturally, we have waited impatiently for Viktor Fyodorovych, and with great hopes. As you know, I visited Ukraine late last year. It was a very successful visit. Today Viktor Fyodorovych is our guest. This is an indication of the dynamism typical of our relations, enabling the resolution of important issues on the agenda of our relations in a flexible and specific manner. Our peoples have been joined in cooperative relations for years, decades, centuries. It is very important that we have managed to sustain all the good that connects and unites us through the years of independence, whose 20th anniversary we will be marking this year. In those years of independence, Ukraine and Azerbaijan have worked as partners and friends; as strategic partners in all fields. Today we are examining the broad agenda of our relations. We note with a feeling of satisfaction once again that our political relations, mutual support and active cooperation in international organizations are at a high level.
The effective economic cooperation we are talking about will be felt even more clearly in the future. The growth in commodity exchange was at its highest level in the history of our relations last year. Cooperation in the humanitarian and energy spheres, as well as on a broad range of issues is also of mutual interest. There is complete mutual understanding between us in all spheres, alongside our mutual efforts to work energetically, cooperate and achieve progress.
Today we had a very detailed discussion on issues of cooperation in the energy sector. We are very pleased that specific steps are being taken here. We have moved from intent and statement to specific work and we see its results first of all in the growing turnover of trade. Azerbaijani oil is entering Ukraine, and we hope that these positive trends will continue. Our oil company is active in the Ukrainian market and is making investments; we have great plans for investment projects. I am sure that these projects will be mutually beneficial.
We also pin great hopes on cooperation in the transport sector, and the transport and infrastructure projects we are implementing in the Caspian and Black Sea regions respectively will not only connect our countries with reliable transport lines, but also create a good environment for regional cooperation in the Caspian-Black Sea basin and the Caspian-Black Sea-Baltic region. There is every reason, and sufficient political will, to succeed. These initiatives in the energy, transport and other sectors bring our countries closer together. We are planning to move from cooperation in the oil sphere to cooperation in the gas sphere. The relevant document was signed at the beginning of the current year and, in principle, this is a new element of bilateral cooperation which did not exist in previous years. At a time when Azerbaijan is expanding its gas potential and emerging as a major producer and exporter of gas, cooperation between our countries in this area is of special importance. Mutual efforts and political will move these processes forward and, of course, play a decisive role.
Today I informed Viktor Fyodorovych about the state of affairs concerning the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. As you know, this conflict has been going on for decades and has brought great pain and suffering to the Azerbaijani people. One million Azerbaijanis have been ousted from their homes. A policy of ethnic cleansing was carried out against our people, 20 per cent of our territory was occupied and, despite decisions and resolutions by international organizations such as the United Nations – the UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on the occupation – the conflict has still not been resolved. This poses a great threat to regional peace and stability and does not allow programmes involving regional cooperation to be implemented to their fullest potential. Despite the difficulties created by this conflict, Azerbaijan is developing rapidly, its economy is growing and major investment projects are being implemented. Last year alone, 15.5 billion dollars were invested in our country's economy. Most of this is domestic investment. We are actively considering issues concerning investment projects in Ukraine; the financial resources are there and, most importantly, so is the political will for such investment. In other words, it might take some time to enumerate the spheres of cooperation, and I cannot but mention the role of Ukrainians living in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis living in Ukraine in strengthening our relations. Our diasporas are a natural bridge connecting our countries and peoples. I am very pleased that Ukrainians living in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis living in Ukraine feel comfortable, confident and at home and are living as one family in their states and, at the same time, are actively trying to develop relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, as is the case now.
I raise my glass to the Ukrainian president and great friend of Azerbaijan, Viktor Fyodorovych Yanukovych, to the prosperity of Ukraine and in honour of the friendship between the peoples of Ukraine and Azerbaijan.
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Speech by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych
- Dear Ilham Heydar oglu!
Dear colleagues and friends!
I have already said today that the five years since I last saw Baku have passed very quickly. Leaving that rapidity aside, we have seen how Baku has changed, become beautiful and emerged as a European city as if by magic.
Ilham Heydar oglu, your people told me today that you are planning to turn the 17-km coastal zone into a park and to move all industrial enterprises out of Baku. As I understand it, you still have many great plans.
Viktor Yanukovych expressed his respect for the memory of Heydar Aliyev, national leader of the Azerbaijani people, once again and noted that Heydar Aliyev, who placed a high value on friendship, had a great love for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people:
- I knew Heydar Aliyev and, of course, I was not as close to him as I am to Ilham Heydar oglu. I remember some of our conversations about how Heydar Aliyev wished to see Azerbaijan and how he wanted to see the country. If he was alive, he would certainly be very happy. However, there is a belief that they can see everything from above, and of course, they are happy with what is going on in the country. I am sure that he is happy with our relations too, because I know how loyal Heydar Aliyev was to friendship, how much he liked to be friends and that he had great love for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. I know that he never thought anyone could make a greater contribution to this friendship and he always contributed to this cause as much as he could. We remember this. The Ukrainian people remember this. A monument to Heydar Aliyev has been erected and a park bearing his name has been laid out in the city of Kiev. I could not but recall it at this moment, because of your sincere welcome and your remarks that we still have much to do - of course, I believe that all this will have a practical outcome. I am also confident that these decisions will be given the appropriate dynamic, that is to say the pace will be optimal. I can say that I am personally very happy with this, and I am sure that the large Ukrainian team finds it very comfortable to work with you. Therefore, we like to work hard and accomplish joint work with our partners in good spirit.
Pointing out that relations between the two countries have been developing even more rapidly in various spheres, including in the economic sector, the Ukrainian head of state said:
- We already have results to summarize for the past year. After the trade between our countries plummeted, last year we managed not only to restore it very quickly, but even to surpass the figures of all previous years. Commodity exchange has never been at last year’s level throughout the years of independence - for 20 years.
Of course, this is very important work carried out by a large team. Last year growth in the Azerbaijani economy was almost at the same level as that in the Ukrainian economy. I am saying this in all modesty because we are lagging behind slightly. But it is a source of pleasure too, because Azerbaijan managed to maintain the volume of industrial output and economic growth through the very difficult years of global crisis – 2008 and 2009. This is very good. I have said, and I want to say again, that we understand very well how well you are doing, because, Ilham Heydar oglu, the team you are heading in your country has a very deep understanding of its responsibility to the Azerbaijani people. Success has been achieved thanks to this, thanks to stability and to the work of professionals. This is how a miracle happens. We are also professionals. We know that only great and intensive work, great desire and a love for the homeland always yield positive results and bear wonderful fruit.
After the high assessment that you gave of our relations, I understand that we have no right not to implement everything we have promised. We declared this before everyone. I will not repeat it. Of course, we have great plans. And we have only announced 10-15 per cent of them. Ilham Heydar oglu and I have not announced the rest of them yet. I hope that their time will come and we will talk about this.
On this wonderful day when we arrived in Baku - we were welcomed by warm, sunny weather, the wind stopped and the weather calmed – I want to raise my glass. Today is the birthday of the mother of Ilham Heydar oglu. We each laid flowers on her grave. Unfortunately, I learnt this only standing before her monument. I raise my glass to the fond memory of your mother. I express my great gratitude to her for being such a person and for bearing such a wonderful son for the land of Azerbaijan. To her fond memory, and I am sure that if she were alive, as a mother she would be very happy with your successes. I want to raise my glass to this fond and holy memory.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham ALIYEV:
- Viktor Fyodorovych, thank you very much!
Your remarks are very touching and slightly unexpected, because only a true friend can say what you have said. You delivered such kind and pleasant words during an official dinner, as it were, in the last stage of today's visit. This shows how cordial, sincere and kind-hearted you are and that you have good feelings for our people. You have touched my emotions and I thank you for these words. May our loved ones who are not with us today rest in peace, and I am sure that they see what is happening here and feel happy.
Thank you very much, Viktor Fyodorovych.
