Putin to Bolster Ties With Azerbaijan During One-Day Visit
(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 13, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a one-day working visit to Azerbaijan to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, including trade, energy and transportation, a presidential aide said.
The talks are expected to result in the signing of several agreements, including a document on cooperation between emergencies ministries.
“The presidents will also discuss key issues of the international and regional agenda, the Caspian Sea legal status, as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement,” Yury Ushakov told reporters on Monday.
Ushakov stressed that Azerbaijan remains on the key Russian partners in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
“Bilateral trade continues to show a stable growth trend. In 2012 it grew by 11 percent to $3.4 billion, and in January-May this year it increased by 50 percent year-on-year,” he said.
The Kremlin official added that Russia and Azerbaijan have good prospects of cooperation in the energy sphere.
Russia’s largest privately held oil company LUKoil is participating in the development of the Shah Deniz gas field in the Caspian Sea and owns a network of gasoline-filling stations in Azerbaijan, while Russia’s state-owned oil major Rosneft has shown interest in joining the development of the Apsheron gas field in the Caspian Sea.
The head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, and LUKoil CEO Vagit Alekperov are accompanying Putin on his visit to Azerbaijan.
Last year, Azerbaijan delivered 1.55 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Russia.