Spring Boards

Romania is perceived as a close diplomatic partner of Azerbaijan, and was the second country in the world to recognize its independence after Turkey. What are the main pillars of bilateral relations today?

Our relationship centers on mutual respect and political partnerships. The links between Romania and Azerbaijan are strong, and we believe that the increased economic success of our cooperation will only strengthen this relationship.

How would you assess Azerbaijan’s importance as a future energy exporter to South east and Central Europe, and to Romania in particular, in light of the plans to build a pipeline through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania?

One cannot disregard Azerbaijan’s role in today’s energy market. Given that an increasing number of political and economic actors understand the necessity of the diversification of energy supply, the plans for the building of this project are being given serious attention and consideration by the Romanian government. We are looking forward to developing this project and, at the same time, we are interested in pursuing other bilateral projects.

Having reached $55 million in 2012, trade between the two countries remains relatively modest. What efforts are the two administrations making to develop this?

We are aware that a great deal of effort needs to be put into increasing the level of bilateral trade, and we hope that the excellent political links between the two countries will contribute to the development of the economic ties between Romania and Azerbaijan.

In recent years, several Azerbaijani companies have invested in Romania in sectors such as construction and infrastructure. What are your expectations regarding the evolution of two-way direct investment?

We are definitely looking forward to encouraging Romanian investment in Azerbaijan. There are several economic sectors in which Romanian products and companies are increasingly competitive, and we expect not only to increase the volume of bilateral trade, but also increase Romanian investments in Azerbaijan against the background of a strengthening political relationship.

Could you please give examples of past instances of cooperation and support between Romania and Azerbaijan?

Of course. One of Romania’s foremost policies has been that of supporting, by institutional means, the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Euro-Atlantic institutions. To this end, since 2009, the Romanian Embassy in Baku is the NATO contact point embassy. Moreover, in 2009, our two countries signed a declaration to establish a strategic partnership between the two countries. In addition to the increasing commercial relations, I would like to mention the initiatives undertaken in order to develop cultural and scientific ties between our two countries as relevant endeavors in the field of bilateral cooperation.

What do the educational exchanges between Romania and Azerbaijan consist of?

Educational exchanges allow for students and teachers from both countries to spend a period of time at universities in the partner country. We are currently discussing policies to improve the connections between the Romanian and the Azerbaijani academic arenas.

President Ilham Aliyev won a third landslide victory at the polls in October 2013. What do you expect his third term will bring in terms of Romania-Azerbaijan bilateral relations?

We believe that the institutionalization of our cooperation is the next step in the development of the relations between our two countries. Therefore, we believe that the warm and close relations between our two countries can only further develop, given their political continuity and stability.