Mr. Hiroshi,

I am pleased of our sincere and friendly meeting and the fact that you, in general, the Japanese businessmen are informed in detail about our country.

You have detailed information on the economic opportunities of Azerbaijan, on the reforms carried out in our country in connection with the transition to the market economy in our republic, on the work done in the field of state-building, on the problems which our country faces, including the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan and its grave consequences, on our desire to end the war by holding peace negotiations, and on other issues. I would like to let you know that the independent Republic of Azerbaijan uses the experience of the advanced countries at the current stage of its development. In particular, the achievements of the Japanese economy after the World War II provide a basis for the study of the experience and cooperation between our two countries. I appreciate highly the interest in our country by the Japanese companies, some of which have already opened offices in Baku and joined to specific projects. Our republic has created favorable conditions for foreign businessmen, for the protection of investments and this work will continue in future.

I am sure that my first official visit to Japan will open a new stage in the expansion of cooperation between our countries.