Ukraine, Azerbaijan pledge to further bilateral ties

Ukraine and Azerbaijan agreed Monday to further advance bilateral friendly ties and economic cooperation, the two countries' presidents said after a meeting. Ukraine-Azerbaijan relations, based on mutual understanding and traditional friendship, have maintained sound development momentum, said Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. He expressed the hope that the partnership will be carried forward through joint efforts. "We need to switch to long-term planning of our relations, especially in economic and trade spheres," Yanukovych said. Ukraine hopes to increase cooperation with Azerbaijan in various areas, particularly in infrastructure, Yanukovych said. For his part, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he highly values his country's relations with Ukraine and pledged to strengthen bilateral ties. "We strive to give impetus to our relationship as our countries have very close links and great potential for cooperation," Aliyev said He said the two countries should boost political dialogue and tap the potential for trade and energy cooperation.