Belarus, Azerbaijan are reliable and long-term partners

Belarus, Azerbaijan are reliable and long-term partners

Belarus considers Azerbaijan to be a reliable and long-term partner,
Chairman of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreichenko said at
a meeting with an Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis (parliamentary) delegation
on June 2nd.
"The South Caucasus is our reliable and long-term partner and friend,
who has always supported us. Belarus' attitude to Azerbaijan is the
same," the Speaker said. According to Andreichenko, the two countries
have established favorable relations, and he expressed hope that the
forthcoming visit of the Belarusian President to Azerbaijan would
contribute to further development of bilateral cooperation.

He pointed out that Belarus and Azerbaijan were succeeding in trade
and economic cooperation. In 2009 foreign trade turnover equaled $125
million and did not decline, despite the financial and economic
crisis. Moreover, in the first quarter of 2010, trade increased by
27%. "It is vital that the political contacts between the Presidents
and parliamentarians benefit bilateral all-round cooperation,"
Vladimir Andreichenko stressed.
Chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament's permanent commission for
international relations and inter-parliamentary contacts Samed Seidov
noted that Azerbaijan also considers Belarus an important strategic
partner in the international arena. In his words, the visit of the
Belarusian leadership to Azerbaijan "is a great honor and more
evidence of the warm relations between the two countries".
He also drew attention to the similar interests and positions of
Belarus and Azerbaijan in many areas. He underlined that "it depends
on a policy of independence, a policy which serves the interests of
the people first and foremost". "Our countries have proved to our
neighbors and the international community that it's not just that we
can simply develop, but we can also help each other and demonstrate to
other nations how to develop the economy and relations inside the
state," Samed Seidov said.
As for his visit to Belarus, the parliamentarian noted that as PACE
Deputy Chairman he intends to share the experience of the European
parliamentary institutions. "Europe is going through a difficult time
in its history: the economic and political crisis, other problems.
Even during the economic crisis Belarus and Azerbaijan have proved
their viability, the ability to develop, advance and implement the
most important projects for the two nations," Samed Seidov said.