Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and visiting Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev discussed cooperation in the energy sector during their meeting in Athens at midday on Tuesday. Also present during their talks were Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis.

   In statements after the meeting, Karamanlis underlined that Azerbaijan was a partner of strategic significance and a very important country for Europe and Greece.

   The aim of the Greek government was to expand cooperation between the two countries, the premier added - an effort that had begun with the TGI pipeline carrying natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkey and Greece.

    "Our country is the first European Union country to import natural gas from Azerbaijan," he noted.

   The prime minister also clarified, in response to questions, that the negotiations and cooperation with Azerbaijan in no way implied any change of strategy by Greece regarding relations with Russia.

   "The supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan was always at the centre of our policy and one of our fundamental priorities, as well as being an indispensable part of common European targets," Karamanlis said.

   The prime minister stressed that Greece's relations with Russia were at an extremely good level and that the two countries were going ahead with two foremost projects in the energy sector.

   Greece was striving, planning and had succeeded in becoming an energy hub for south-eastern Europe, in this way managing to serve its own interests, bilateral relations but also European strategy at the same time, Karamanlis said.

   President Aliyev said his official visit to Greece had been extremely successful, referred to the bilateral agreements signed while he was in Athens and invited Greek businesses to invest in his country.

   He said that bilateral relations with Greece were at a very good level and that energy cooperation played a major role in boosting bilateral ties.

   The Azeri president expressed an interest in expanding cooperation in the natural gas supply sector, stressing that his country had pipelines and installations that would improve the energy security of Europe and of Greece.

   Azerbaijan can and will play a role in ensuring energy security in Europe, Aliyev noted, adding that the role of good relations with Greece was for this reason important. He also extended an invitation to Karamanlis to visit Baku in order to "continue their excellent cooperation".

   Caption: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis (R) and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) held a joint press conference after their meeting in Athens on Tuesday, which focused on expanding energy cooperation between the two countries. ANA-MPA - M. Marogianni