Ilham Aliyev hosted an official reception in honor of President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Enrico Letta

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has hosted an official reception in honor of President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Enrico Letta.

Addressing the reception, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said:

- Mr. Prime Minister!

Distinguished friends, dear guests!

I welcome you to Azerbaijan again. Your visit is truly historic. It will go down in the history of our relations as the first visit of the Prime Minister of Italy to Azerbaijan. This is very important and significant. It is a good sign of cooperation and friendship. At the same time, your visit is significant from the point of view of the discussions we held today. We have touched on many aspects of bilateral relations and regional cooperation. We will continue our discussion today, during the meal.

I would like to express my satisfaction with the development of friendly, stable and predictable relations between our countries based on mutual support, understanding and respect. As we noted today, these ties are important for the relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan. We are grateful for your country’s support of the relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan, and I do hope that many new developments are in store for us in the coming months and years. I am sure that after this visit we will witness a more active cooperation in the economic sphere, because energy projects will further bind our countries together and our relations will steadily develop in the interests of our peoples.

President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Enrico Letta said:

- Mr. President, I have a feeling that the relations between Italy and Azerbaijan are changing today. I am pleased to note that. Today, we are laying the foundation of our relationship, which is very important for the future of our relations. It is very important for us. We have a great interest in the work being done, and this will be the case in the future too. Our cooperation begins with the energy sector, and I am sure that our communication, along with the energy sector, will also cover a variety of specific areas. I believe that we have a bilateral agenda now, according to which we have determined that our countries are ready to cooperate, especially in the energy sector, and, of course, in economic, political and cultural spheres. Your decision to participate in the exhibition we will hold in 2015 is a very important indicator of strong will and friendship.

Of course, I am very pleased that the Italians will get to know Azerbaijan better in the future. My current visit will help the Italians understand what kind of a country Azerbaijan is and the nature of our strategic partnership. I know that strategic relations between our countries require the cooperation of governments and organizations. At the same time, I know that personal relations also contribute to that. I am confident that the issues we have discussed today, their solutions, as well as our thoughts on military cooperation, cooperation within NATO, Afghanistan and other important areas, are important.

We, as part of the European Union, are a friend of Azerbaijan. We will try to positively resolve the emerging issues. We will meet in Vilnius again, and I do hope that the Vilnius forum will achieve new breakthroughs.