By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Estonian President Alar Karis and Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova have discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the president expressed confidence that Gafarova's official visit to Estonia would further develop relations between the two countries.

Noting that Azerbaijan and Estonia have established successful cooperation in a number of areas, he underlined that now there is good potential for further cooperation development.

The Estonian president also expressed support for Azerbaijan-EU relations, stressing that Estonia has always supported Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

In turn, Gafarova noted that the existing legislative basis of Azerbaijani-Estonian relations can be enriched with new documents in order to cover various spheres of the bilateral agenda.

"It is quite possible to further deepen our cooperation in economic, trade, investment, agricultural and other areas, despite the negative impact of COVID-19," she said.

Speaking about the ties between Azerbaijan and the European Union, Gafarova stated that negotiations on the conclusion of a new partnership agreement are at the final stage. She added that Azerbaijan has signed documents on strategic partnership with nine EU states.

Recalling the visit of EU Council President Charles Michel to Azerbaijan in July 2021 and the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the 6th summit of the EU Eastern Partnership in Brussels, Gafarova stressed that these visits demonstrate the essence of relations between Azerbaijan and the EU.

The official also briefed on the undergoing large-scale restoration and reconstruction work on Azerbaijan's liberated territories.

"A lot of work has been completed in a short period of time: a new transport infrastructure has been created and an international airport has begun to operate in Fuzuli. The opening of the Zangazur corridor and all regional communications will increase the transport potential of the region," she said.

Additionally, in the course of the conversation, the sides discussed other topics of mutual interest.

Azerbaijan and Estonia are cooperating in different spheres of the economy. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 

The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $6.1 million in 2021.