Romanian President: "No problems exist between Azerbaijan and Romania"

How do you appreciate the current relations between Azerbaijan and Romania and what is your expectation for the forthcoming visit to Azerbaijan?

Romania and Azerbaijan have very good ties, covering all the fields of bilateral cooperation, be they political, diplomatic, economic, military or cultural. Of course, I believe there are many other issues that our countries can cooperate on, such as bringing the bilateral relations to the level of the political ones; however, the general look is satisfactory.

My official visit to Baku is a sign of friendship from Romania, as a neighbor country, to the Republic of Azerbaijan and its inhabitants. I am visiting the Capital of Azerbaijan not with the aim of discussing problems, as there are none, but to make the Baku authorities and President Aliyev a political offer, in the spirit of friendship and total openness: we would like to encourage Azerbaijan's rapprochement to the European and Euro-Atlantic structures, to support the democratization internal efforts, the peaceful solving of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, according to international law principles and norms, and also, generally, to offer a token of our wish and political will of strengthening the bilateral ties at all levels.

Presidents of Romania and Azerbaijan have to date signed some 20 documents within various official visits. Do you intend to sign any documents during this visit?

During my official visit, various documents will be signed, among which: The Amending Protocol of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of Republic of Azerbaijan on mutual promotion and protection of investments; The Amending Protocol of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of Republic of Azerbaijan on trade and economic relations and technical and scientific cooperation; Cooperation Memorandum between the Public Finance Ministry Romanian and Tax Ministry of Azerbaijan; The Joint Political Statement that I will sign together with President Aliyev. This statement is extremely significant for the reiteration of our mutual political will of consolidating ties between our countries.

Azerbaijan signed an agreement in the sphere of energy with Ukraine which envisages transferring the Caspian oil through Odessa-Brodi pipeline. But, Romania proposed delivery of the Caspian oil to Constanta port. Will this offer be in agenda again?

With regard to hydrocarbons transport from the Caspian area to Europe, we salute the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and soon, of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas-duct, that Romania will benefit from, as well.

In relation to the Odessa-Brodi pipeline route and not only, I will always plead for using the transport or transit capacities of the Constanta port. Romania can be an entrance gate for Caspian gas and oil into Europe and can be used as a transit country to Western Europe.
Otherwise, Europe energy's security is an extremely important issue, against the background of a significant increase of energy resources demand; as an oil and natural gas importer, Romania is interested in finding new import sources and alternative routes of hydrocarbons transport.

Moreover, we are interested in identifying ways for ensuring the feasability of Nabucco project. Azerbaijan can play an important part as a secure transit country and supplier for this pipeline.

Besides energy, in what spheres is Azerbaijan attractive for Romania?

In our opinion, all fields are or can be interesting, in view of cooperation between states that are, both, on an upwards track of economic development. Romania is particularly interested in strengthening our economic ties, as our trade exchange volume is quite high – over $120 mln in 2005. The balance is unfavorable to Romania; therefore, we would like to identify ways to increase our export to Azerbaijan. Moreover, our interest also covers transport cooperation; the first steps have already been made, in relation to Black Sea and Danube merchandise transport from and to Caucasus and Europe.

In my opinion, economic ties between our countries are in full expansion. I believe that the Romanian part needs to make serious efforts in order to re-establish the commercial balance, with a view to increasing the exports to Azerbaijan. Moreover, I believe the trade exchange volume - around 120 million dollars, is far below the potential of our economies, that are going through a period of significant increase. I am certain that the competent authorities will find the ways of diversifying and strengthen the economic ties. After its EU accession, Romania could become more interesting for the Azeri business people, as an entrance gate for merchandise to the European space.

Azerbaijan and Romania enjoy military cooperation. Does Romania, as a NATO state, intend to enlarge this cooperation?

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Republic of Azerbaijan for engaging in the Individual Action Plan with NATO. With regard to your question, we would like to express our full availability to support you in enforcing the plan, by sharing our experience in preparing for the NATO accession. There already is a significant legal frame in the field (cooperation agreement between the defense ministries, agreement on cooperation in the military education field, agreement on technical-military cooperation, agreement on protection of mutually delivered military information); this framework and IPAP will contribute to the strengthening of cooperation.

Romania is one of the countries interested in GUAM. When can Romania's integration to GUAM come true?

Romania's interest for eastern neighborhood evolution is a natural attitude of a state that is interested in supporting the objective of the Euro-Atlantic cooperation that it is part of: expanding the area of stability, security and prosperity, beyond EU and NATO borders. This year, we saluted the transformation of GUAM into an international organization – Organization for Democratization and Economic Development – GUAM.

I believe that the regional structure ODED-GUAM is particularly important for fighting the new threats to European security. Cooperation between Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Republic of Moldova in fields such as enhancing the security climate, creating a free–trade area, cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons transport and transit, based on projects such as TRACECA and INOGATE is extremely important.

I would like to salute the interest of GUAM states for the frozen conflicts that are sources of instability for the region and burning points with a high potential of spreading the insecurity beyond their borders. There is a need for energetic measures and joint cooperation plans of fighting these threats. To this end, I would like to congratulate the GUAM member states for their recent UN General Assembly initiative of promoting a resolution on the so-called 'frozen conflicts' that have been fairly enough called 'protracted conflicts.' I would like to remind you that Romania has been one of the supporters of the resolution project.

I do not believe that we should consider the possibility of Romania's accession to GUAM. However, given that the GUAM region is adjacent to the geographical space that Romania is part of , I can say that we will involve actively in view of substantiating an efficient cooperation between GUAM member-states, as we have already proven within the UN framework.

Romania is one step far from the EU membership. How do you value Azerbaijan's perspectives for accession to this organization? How can you help Azerbaijan in this way?

Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Republic of Azerbaijan's leadership, and to personally congratulate President Aliyev for the official recognition of Azerbaijan's European aspirations by the European Commission. Moreover, I am expressing my hope that EU and Azerbaijan negotiations on the Individual Action Plan, part of the European Neighborhood Policy, will be concluded during the term of Finnish chairmanship.

We believe the development of structural cooperation ties between EU and Azerbaijan, part of the New European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), and Romania's status of a future EU member-state can complement and strengthen the bilateral ties between Romania and Azerbaijan.

We are expressing our full availability to share the know-how that we acquired in the period of pre-adhesion to Euro-Atlantic and European structures. We are expressing our availability to initiate contacts at the level of competent ministries. I am certain that, upon the wish expressed by the Baku authorities, the Romanian part will respond efficiently, presenting a concrete offer concerning the training of young specialists.

How did you Moldova find the referendum in Transdnistria?

Besides officially disapproving the conflict, Romania reiterated the support for strengthening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Republic of Moldova, as fundamental principles in solving the Transdnistria conflicts and multilaterally supported Republic of Moldova's efforts to obtain a public disapproval of the referendum.

I would like to underline that the referendum is illegal, according to international law and Republic of Moldova constitutional law and, subsequently, its results have no political or legal relevance.

I believe that the referendum has strict political purposes, particularly, undermining the international community efforts for solving the conflict and resumption of the 5+2 negotiations. To this end, I believe that Tiraspol's propensity for unilateral measures (as this is not the first referendum organized by them) has to be unanimously and firmly disapproved by the international community.