The president made the remarks at a joint press conference with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
He expressed his gratitude for the invitation to visit Germany, saying that he was glad to be back.
“The agenda of bilateral ties between the two countries is quite extensive, covering various areas, and today we very openly and sincerely discussed these issues,” he said.
Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that his visit will give a new momentum to the development of political relations between the two countries.
“The political relations have a positive impact on all other areas. Naturally, today the economic cooperation is also on agenda. Many German companies operate in Azerbaijan. We support their activities,” he said.
The president noted that in the future, the German companies will be able to do in Azerbaijan even more, both as contractors and investors.
“Given the dynamic development of Azerbaijan’s economy, the realization of numerous infrastructure projects, then, of course, successful activities of German companies in Azerbaijan will continue,” he said.
The president noted that during the talks, the parties also touched upon the issues of regional security.
“The settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a priority for Azerbaijan,” he said. “This is a great source of threat, both for Azerbaijan and the region.”
“As is known, the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan have been under occupation of Armenian army for many years. Some 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands are under the occupation, over one million Azerbaijanis suffer from the occupation and have become refugees and internally displaced persons,” President Aliyev said.
He noted that the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on the settlement of the conflict, which demand the unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories.
“Unfortunately, Armenia ignores them, willing to keep the status quo. This conflict must be settled on the basis of principles and norms of international law within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. As in all other conflicts, there should be a single approach,” he said.
The president further noted that the energy security was among the main topics of the talks.
“The projects, initiated by the Azerbaijani side, change the energy map of Europe, the energy security of which will be further secured with help of Azerbaijan as well,” he said.
“The TANAP project started in 2012, and the TAP project was selected in 2013 as a main export route, and late last year the foundation for the Southern Gas Corridor was laid. Azerbaijan is the initiator of all these projects. At the same time, Azerbaijan undertakes large financial commitments for the implementation of these projects,” President Aliyev said.
The president expressed confidence that all the work will be done in a timely manner.
“The TANAP project will be realized in 2018, and TAP a year after it. In order to achieve this, of course, it is needed to have closer cooperation in this area between Azerbaijan and the EU,” he said.
The president noted that next month Azerbaijani capital of Baku will host the first Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor at Azerbaijan’s initiative, and expressed confidence that it will discuss all the issues.
“Once again I would like to say that I greatly assess my visit today. The relations between Azerbaijan and Germany have great potential. The decisions made today, the negotiations held, will greatly contribute to the development of relations,” President Aliyev further said.
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