OREANDA-NEWS. November 16, 2009. Following a ceremony of signing Azerbaijan-Bulgaria documents, President Ilham Aliyev and the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov held a joint press conference.

Bulgarian President Parvanov stated that the documents signed between the two countries elevated bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level. According to him, an active political dialogue exists between the two countries: “We can see the trends of economic cooperation at the same time,” said Georgi Parvanov, adding that the two countries actively cooperate within the framework of international organizations, including European and Euroatlantic institutions.

Bulgarian President noted that Azerbaijan is Bulgaria`s closer partner in energy sector.

He noted that Bulgaria is interested in transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria.

President Ilham Aliyev stated that good results had been achieved during the talks and bilateral relations continue to develop successfully. The Azerbaijani President mentioned that Bulgaria is a very important partner and a friendly country for Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev stressed that the high-level political relations between the two countries have a positive impact on other fields as well. He added that Bulgaria plays a significant role in cooperation between European Union and Azerbaijan.

Emphasizing the continuing support of Bulgaria to Azerbaijan in the process of integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, the President added that Azerbaijan had recently joined the European Union`s “Eastern Partnership” Program. The President expressed hope in expansion of cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan within the framework of this program.

Touching upon the energy relations between the EU and Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev said that the importance of energy security issues had increased over the last years. He added that Azerbaijan contributes to the settlement of these issues.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed assurance that the gas cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan will be successful as well.

Later, the Presidents responded to the questions of journalists.