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2018 was remarkable for high-level visits between Azerbaijan and Italy, Azerbaijani ambassador

“The year 2018 has seen a large number of high-level visits between Azerbaijan and Italy,” said Azerbaijani Ambassador to Italy Mammad Ahmadzade in his video interview to the leading Italian news agencyAskanews.

In the interview, Mammad Ahmadzade spoke about the successful results achieved in bilateral Azerbaijani-Italian relations this year.

The ambassador also answered the host’s questions on Azerbaijan-EU cooperation, Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and TAP project.

The diplomat said the year 2018 was remarkable for the exchange of high-level visits between Azerbaijan and Italy. He noted that Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s and Italian Senate President Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati’s visits to Azerbaijan as well as First-Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva’s recent visit to Italy were fruitful and successful. Ambassador Ahmadzade emphasized the significance of reciprocal visits in maintaining high-level political and institutional dialogue between the two countries.

Stressing the successful results in trade and economic relations, the diplomat pointed out to the Azerbaijan-Italy business forum held as part of Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s visit to Azerbaijan.

Noting that Azerbaijan pursues a multi-vector and balanced foreign policy, the ambassador said cooperation with the European Union is one of the key priorities of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. He also highlighted the signing and adoption of the documents on strategic partnership with a number of EU countries, including with Italy, adding that the EU is one of the key trade partners and investors of Azerbaijan.

Mammad Ahmadzade also drew the audience’s attention to the fact that 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands were occupied by the Armenian armed forces, stressing the importance of changing the status quo in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said the Armenian armed forces must withdraw from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

The interview was also broadcast by a number of other Italian media outlets, such as “Il Sole 24 Ore”, “Il Foglio”, “Il Tempo”, “Quotidiano”, “Libero Quotidiano”, “Affari Italiani”, “Notizie Tiscali”, “Notizie Yahoo”, “Prealpina”, “Corriere di Siena”, “Corriere di Arrezzo”, “Corriere di Viterbo”, “Corriere dell’Umbria”, “Corriere di Rieti”, “Lettera43”.