Azeri President: Azerbaijan, Russia Interested In Developing Cooperation

Azerbaijan and Russia are interested in developing cooperation in the economic and other areas, Azeri President Geidar Aliyev said Wednesday adding that President Putin's visit to Baku this last January gave a "powerful impetus" to the development of cooperation. The year 2001 is a year of serious steps for the further development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, the Azeri leader said as receiving Russia's Vice-Premier Viktor Khristenko, who has arrived in Baku for a meeting of the bilateral intergovernmental commission for economic contacts. The commission is going to discuss a programme of Azerbaijan-Russia strategic cooperation targeting 2010, according to Khristenko.