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Finnish foreign minister calls for closer ties with Azerbaijan

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  • Finnish foreign minister calls for closer ties with Azerbaijan

    Finnish foreign minister calls for closer ties with Azerbaijan

    AP Worldstream
    Oct 04, 2004


    Finland's foreign minister on Monday called for closer ties between
    his country and Azerbaijan, saying bilateral trade could soon reach
    US$50 million (Aâ=82¬40 million), news agencies reported.

    Speaking after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart and other
    top officials, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said Finland was deeply
    concerned about stability in the Caucasus region, which has been
    plagued by instability since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

    Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the early 1990s that ended with
    a cease-fire in 1994. No final settlement has been reached, however,
    as the two countries remain at odds over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave,
    which Armenian forces seized from Azerbaijan.

    Tuomioja said annual trade between Finland and Azerbaijan is currently
    about US$5 million (Aâ=82¬4 million). He said that figure could
    increase tenfold in coming years, particularly in the communications
    and information technology sectors.

    "Before today, there has been no tangible advancement in trade
    relations between our countries," Tuomioja said in remarks broadcast
    on local television.

    Prime Minister Artus Rasi-zade said Finland's best opportunity for
    increased trade with Azerbaijan would come in the oil and gas sector,
    Azerbaijani news agencies reported.

    Located on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, which produced half the
    world's oil in the early 1900s, controls some of the largest proven
    reserves of oil andgas in the world.

    On Tuesday, Tuomioja flies to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, for talks
    with Armenian officials.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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