Speaking at the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Xalafov said that his country and the UAE have the potential for staging a bilateral economic cooperation which could serve as a model in the region. He said that the president of Azerbaijan, who is scheduled to visit the UAE, is keen to develop relations between the two countries.
Mr. Xalafov said he had met the UAE Foreign Ministry under-secretary and exchanged with him views on issues of mutual concern. The Azeri official extended an invitation in the name of the Azerbaijan Foreign Minister to his UAE counterpart to visit Azerbaijan, in order to further develop cooperation in the area of air services, protection of investments and lifting of double taxation.
Mr. Xalafov was the guest of the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up on Sunday, December 30th 2001. Funded in 1997, the Center is an advanced Arab “Think Tank” working in close cooperation with the Arab institutions.
The Zayed Centre reported that that Mr. Xalafov believed Azeri ties with Israel should be utilized to promote peace in the Middle East, and that his country’s stand on the Arab-Israeli conflict was based on the peaceful resolution of the conflict. On relations with Iran, Mr. Xalafov said that Iran, which is home to 10 million Azeris, was an important country in the region. Its good relations with Armenia could be leverage in resolving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. . (www.albawaba.com)
