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Participants of the Baku meeting of the News Agencies World Council (NACO) have today met Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov provided an insight into Azerbaijan’s achievements in political, economic and social areas after the country`s regaining its independence.
The FM said the gross domestic product had grown three-fold and the poverty level had been reduced to 5 percent from 49 percent in the last decade in Azerbaijan thanks to successful political and economic reforms.
Mr. Mammadyarov said favorable business and investment environment had been established in Azerbaijan.
Speaking of the country’s energy policy, the FM highlighted the importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines.
The Minister also pointed to Trans-Anatolia and Trans-Adriatic gas lines, which would be built in the near future, saying they would contribute to ensuring Europe’s energy security.
Mr. Mammadyarov highlighted the development of the non-oil sector in Azerbaijan, noting the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway would play a crucial role in expanding transportation opportunities of the region.
The Minister also provided an insight into the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands were occupied and a bloody ethnic cleansing policy was carried out there by the Armenians against Azerbaijani civilians.
Referring to four resolutions of the UN Security Council demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani lands, Mr. Mammadyarov expressed regret over the fact that “Armenia has not fulfilled these resolutions, ignoring the call of the international community and continuing to grossly violate the norms and principles of the international law”.
Minister Mammadyarov responded to questions from the participants of the Baku meeting of the News Agencies World Council.
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