Interview with Markku Rossi, a member of the Finnish parliament from the Centre Party.
Q: You attended the conference on the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan's independence. What do you think about the future of our country?
A: 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.
Q: This is clear. But how is it possible to agree, when there is not enough trust between the parties?
A: 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.
Q: Azerbaijan and Finland have big, unexplored potential for interaction in many spheres. What are the prospects for cooperation between our countries?
A: 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.
Q: Do people in Finland know much about Azerbaijan?
A: 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.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
