(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Qabil Ashirov Read more
With roots dating back over a century, the relationship betweenAzerbaijan and Italy has stood the test of time and evolved into amultidimensional strategic partnership. Even during the People'sRepublic era, Italy played a crucial role, holding the mandate forAzerbaijan. Following Azerbaijan's regaining state independence,the economic and political ties between the two nations continuedto improve.
A significant milestone in this enduring partnership was markedon February 20, 2020, when President Ilham Aliyev visited Italy,underscoring the high level of relations between the two countries this visit, the Joint Declaration on Strengthening theMultidimensional Strategic Partnership between the Republic ofAzerbaijan and the Republic of Italy was signed in Rome. Thisdeclaration paved the way for enhanced cooperation not only in theoil and gas sector but also across various facets of the economy,encouraging Italian investments in Azerbaijan's industry,agriculture, infrastructure, tourism, transport logistics, andmore.
Delegations of Foreign Ministries discuss strategicpartnership
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijanand the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperationof the Italian Republic have held another round of politicalconsultations in Rome, Italy.
The delegations were led by Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister ofForeign Affairs, Fariz Rzayev, and Italian Deputy Minister forForeign Affairs and International Cooperation, EdmondoCirielli.
During the meeting, the sides explored multidimensionalstrategic partnership between the two countries based ontraditional friendship and mutual trust and its strengthening, aswell as the possibilities of solidifying relations in thepolitical, trade-economic, energy, defence and security, transport,logistics, and humanitarian domains.
Both parties emphasized the importance of continuing high-levelreciprocal visits, as well as holding the Strategic Dialogue andthe next meetings of the Intergovernmental Commission forreinforcing the partnership.
The discussions also revolved around mutual interest oninternational and regional agenda, as well as expanding cooperationin multilateral formats.
The Italian delegation was briefed on the preparations forCOP29, slated to take place in Azerbaijan this November, and theassociated tasks. Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister provided anoverview of the regional landscape, highlighting Azerbaijan'sendeavors toward fostering lasting peace in the region, addressingthe challenges posed by landmines and the ongoing restoration andreconstruction projects in the liberated territories. Discussionsalso focused on potential areas of cooperation between Azerbaijanand Italy in addressing these issues.
The parties underscored the importance of cultural, scientific,and educational exchanges between the two nations, particularlythose within the framework of the Italy-Azerbaijan University inBaku.
During the visit, Fariz Rzayev also met with other Italianofficials, and delivered a speech at the events arranged atprestigious think tanks in Rome.
Italy, Azerbaijan economic partnership
Italy currently stands as one of Azerbaijan's main tradepartners, with a mutual trade turnover exceeding 15 billion USdollars. It has been a partner since 2020, and last year, accordingto the statistics of the State Customs Committee, products worth 15billion 208 million dollars were exported from Azerbaijan to Italy, products worth $477 mln and 903 thousand were importedfrom Italy to Azerbaijan.
While the oil and gas sector has traditionally dominatedeconomic relations, recent years have witnessed a diversificationof cooperation into the non-oil sector. A total of 114 Italiancompanies operate in various sectors in Azerbaijan, includingindustry, construction, trade, agriculture, communication, andservices.
Oil and gas firms, as well as non-oil companies, are activeplayers in the Italian market. They are contractors on 277 projectstotaling 9.9 billion dollars in the oil and gas industry, whilethey are involved in 37 projects totaling 708 million dollars inthe non-oil industry.
Italy's large share in Azerbaijan's energy
Italy's position in Azerbaijan's energy environment isparticularly significant concerning the Trans Adriatic Pipeline(TAP) project. At the border between Greece and Turkey, TAP joinsTANAP directly to transmit natural gas to southern Italy via theAdriatic Sea, Greece, and Albania. About 10 billion cubic metres ofnatural gas were delivered to Italy via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline(TAP) in 2023. Additionally, the consortium stated that TAP will beable to supply an additional 1.2 billion cubic metres of gasannually starting in 2026.
Natural gas from the massive Shah Deniz field in the CaspianSea's Azerbaijani region is transported to Europe by TAP. The 878km pipeline spans the Adriatic Sea, Greece, Albania, and SouthernItaly before connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP)at the Turkish-Greek border near Kipoi.
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