Azerbaijan

Novinite has interviewed Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Bulgaria, H.E. Nargiz Gurbanova, on the occasion of two key events in bilateral relations.

Pope Francis on Oct. 2 arrived in mainly Muslim Azerbaijan on the last leg of his peace tour of the volatile ex-Soviet Caucasus region, just months after visiting arch-foe Armenia.

The pontiff held a mass for the country's tiny Catholic community in the capital Baku ahead of a scheduled meeting with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic, Ambassador of Azerbaijan Eldar Hassanov and representatives of the construction company Azvirt on Wednesday agreed the Corridor 11 road section from Ljig to Preljina, central Serbia, should be completed and opened to traffic by the end of October.

Azerbaijan with supply Bulgaria with gas that will be destined for the "Balkan Gas Hub", according to the Bulgarian Energy Ministry.

The decision was taken at the 4th intergovernmental committee in Baku, where 2020 was confirmed as a beginning.

A protocol that will pave the way for a study into gas deliveries options to third countries was also signed at the meeting.

The Corridor 11 road section from Ljig to Preljina, central Serbia, should be completed and opened to traffic by the end of October.

Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic, Ambassador of Azerbaijan Eldar Hassanov and representatives of the construction company Azvirt agreed this on Wednesday, Tanjug reported.

Bulgarian Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski will head a delegation sent to Azerbaijan as part of a bilateral committee that will have a session on September 29-30, the government says.

The Fourth session of the Bulgarian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental committee on economic cooperation will be presided by Lukarski and Azerbaijan's Transport Minister Ziya Mamedov.

Azerbaijan's state energy company Socar has agreed to extend a letter of guarantee for its acquisition of Greek gas network operator DESFA by a month, the office of the prime minister said on Tuesday.

Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık has called for further enhancement of defense ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan, speaking to reporters in Baku after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Zahir Hasanov.

Azerbaijan's state energy company Socar plans to hold talks with Greek officials over a deal to buy Greek natural gas pipeline operator DESFA, Socar's president said on Friday.

SOCAR is interested in entering the Bulgarian oil products market, the head of the Azerbaijani state-owned oil company has said.

"Talks are underway" with Bulgarian officials, Trend News Agency quotes Murad Heydarov, the head of SOCAR Balkan, as telling reporters.

Heydarov has also described the possibility as a "long-term project".