President: Azerbaijan may significantly influence European energy security
On Thursday, 2nd July 2009, the President and the First Lady paid a two-day official state visit to Azerbaijan. The President in an interview with the local media emphasized that, for Poland, Azerbaijan is an important partner. According to him, the relations with Azerbaijan have taken the form of a strategic partnership in numerous fields.
“I greatly hope that we will manage to carry out our joint projects, in particular those related to energy but also those connected with economy and culture. Even today, numerous Polish companies, such as LOTOS, PKN Orlen, Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (Polish Security Printing Works) and others, are interested in making investments in Baku," Lech Kaczyński said.
A step forward on the road leading to energy security
In the presence of the Presidents of Poland and Azerbaijan, Lotos Group and SOCAR, an Azerbaijani petroleum company, signed a letter of intent pertaining to joint extraction and processing of petroleum.
“Azerbaijan can be, and will be, a country significantly influencing European energy security," the Polish President said on Thursday in Baku, during a press conference held for him and the President of Azerbaijan.
He also emphasized the importance of energy security. He claimed that Azerbaijan is the key to energy independence of not only Poland but also of the entire European Union.
Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, pointed to the fact that the cooperation pertaining to energy between his country and Poland has been developing very well over the last few years. He reminded the audience that Azerbaijan has large supplies of both petroleum and natural gas. He claimed that Azerbaijan is capable of making a contribution to the energy security of the European Union.
Petroleum could be transferred to Poland by means of the Odessa-Brody pipeline. For the past few years, Poland and Ukraine have been negotiating a project for making the pipeline longer, so that it would reach Płock. From there, petroleum could be transferred to Gdańsk.
Using the pipeline to transport Caspian petroleum from Brody to Płock would make it possible to diversify the supply of this resource and to make our country, as well as Ukraine, more independent of Russian supplies. The President of Azerbaijan remarked that a study concerning the feasibility of the pipeline project is being prepared.
The agreement pertaining to the extraction and processing of petroleum was signed by Paweł Olechnowicz, the President of Lotos Group, and Rovnag Abdullayev, the head of SOCAR.
Joint advisory committee
Before the President departed for Azerbaijan, the Polish Minister Mariusz Handzlik claimed that this visit would result in the appointment of a permanent advisory committee. This committee would include representatives of the two presidents and members of governments from both countries.
Handzlik emphasized that the committee will make considering and discussing issues connected with Polish-Azerbaijani cooperation possible. Poland has already established committees of this type with Ukraine, Romania, Lithuania and Turkey.
A distinction for the Polish President
During his visit to Azerbaijan, Lech Kaczyński was awarded the highest Azerbaijani state award – the Order of Heydar Aliyev. “This is to symbolise that you have done much for the development of relations between us," the President of Azerbaijan said after awarding the order to Lech Kaczyński. He also said that this was a token of recognition of the service the Polish leader has done for the energy sector in Europe.
What were the matters discussed?
The President, when asked what the subject of his discussions with Ilham Aliyev was going to be, remarked that much has changed since the last visit of the Azerbaijani President in Poland, which took place in February 2008, and issues such as the war in Georgia, the gas crisis or the economic crisis appeared. “There are also numerous subjects connected with bilateral cooperation that require further discussion. These include, for example, issues from within the fields of economy and culture," Lech Kaczyński said.
The two presidents also discussed the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. Lech Kaczyński remarked that he firmly believes no one has the right to change the borders of a country, even if they are the stronger party.
From 1988 to 1994, Armenia and Azerbaijan were fighting a bloody war for Nagorno-Karabakh. Around 34 thousand people perished in it. Azerbaijan lost control of seven provinces surrounding the region of Nagorno-Karabakh which thus became a part of Armenia.
The Polish President said that he would prefer that the problem be solved in a peaceful manner but he remarked that this must be done with due respect for the rights of minorities and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Second day of the visit
Before noon on the second day of his visit to Azerbaijan, the Polish President met with Artur Rasizade, the Azerbaijani Prime Minister, and placed flowers at a place of national remembrance – the Shaheed Monument.
Later on, Lech Kaczyński met with Ogtay Asadov, the President of Azerbaijani Parliament, and then went to a private breakfast held in his honour by Ilham Aliyev.
Lech Kaczyński also received an honorary doctorate degree from the Slavic University in Baku. The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Kamal Abdullayev, as he was decorating the President, said that the distinction was a token of recognition of the great service Lech Kaczyński has done for the development of cooperation between Poland and Azerbaijan in the fields of culture and education.