ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN SHOULD 'ACHIEVE PEACE BY THEMSELVES'
news.az
Sept 27 2011
Azerbaijan
News.Az interviews Markku Rossi, a member of the Finnish parliament
from the Centre Party.
You attended the conference on the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan's
independence. What do you think about the future of our country?
First of all, the speech of the president of Azerbaijan at the opening
ceremony was very interesting. You know, an audience always admires
someone who can speak without notes.
Azerbaijan has a very good future and, moreover, it is rich in
energy sources.
Meanwhile, the Karabakh conflict hampers the development of the
country and Azerbaijan is obliged to invest much of its funds into
armament, instead of development. I hope everything will be all right
and Azerbaijan will soon find another destination for its oil and
gas revenues. It is awful when countries are obliged to invest oil
revenues in arms to be used against their neighbours.
The best way is to reach peace through joint efforts.
This is clear. But how is it possible to agree, when there is not
enough trust between the parties?
I don't know. But usually conflict settlement is dealt with primarily
by the conflict parties and they must achieve peace all by themselves.
No one will be of help, if neighbours do not want to coexist.
Therefore, it is up to Baku and Yerevan to find the way out of the
situation.
Azerbaijan and Finland have big, unexplored potential for interaction
in many spheres. What are the prospects for cooperation between
our countries?
The prospects are very good. People in our countries are equally
hospitable. Certainly, energy cooperation has big prospects, but
many projects could be implemented in the non-oil sector. What's
most important is that there are no political problems between our
countries.
Do people in Finland know much about Azerbaijan?
Not so much. They know more about Azerbaijan's "big neighbours". I
think that cooperation in tourism needs to be established for better
familiarization with your region. In addition, it would be useful to
establish direct air communication between Helsinki and Baku. It is
necessary for people to come and see the country and what is going
on here.
From: A. Papazian
news.az
Sept 27 2011
Azerbaijan
News.Az interviews Markku Rossi, a member of the Finnish parliament
from the Centre Party.
You attended the conference on the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan's
independence. What do you think about the future of our country?
First of all, the speech of the president of Azerbaijan at the opening
ceremony was very interesting. You know, an audience always admires
someone who can speak without notes.
Azerbaijan has a very good future and, moreover, it is rich in
energy sources.
Meanwhile, the Karabakh conflict hampers the development of the
country and Azerbaijan is obliged to invest much of its funds into
armament, instead of development. I hope everything will be all right
and Azerbaijan will soon find another destination for its oil and
gas revenues. It is awful when countries are obliged to invest oil
revenues in arms to be used against their neighbours.
The best way is to reach peace through joint efforts.
This is clear. But how is it possible to agree, when there is not
enough trust between the parties?
I don't know. But usually conflict settlement is dealt with primarily
by the conflict parties and they must achieve peace all by themselves.
No one will be of help, if neighbours do not want to coexist.
Therefore, it is up to Baku and Yerevan to find the way out of the
situation.
Azerbaijan and Finland have big, unexplored potential for interaction
in many spheres. What are the prospects for cooperation between
our countries?
The prospects are very good. People in our countries are equally
hospitable. Certainly, energy cooperation has big prospects, but
many projects could be implemented in the non-oil sector. What's
most important is that there are no political problems between our
countries.
Do people in Finland know much about Azerbaijan?
Not so much. They know more about Azerbaijan's "big neighbours". I
think that cooperation in tourism needs to be established for better
familiarization with your region. In addition, it would be useful to
establish direct air communication between Helsinki and Baku. It is
necessary for people to come and see the country and what is going
on here.
From: A. Papazian