Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Friday that the government will work closely with Azerbaijan on the gasification of Albania.

In an interview published on Facebook at the end of his visit to Azerbaijan, Rama said the first very important step is the launch of a concrete work for the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP).

Rama added that IPA through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) "connects the upper part which means Albania with Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and actually turns Albania into a very important gas distribution hub".

Rama also informed that the two countries have decided to start a process to strengthen the bilateral relationship through energy and tourism.

Speaking about the meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Rama said that he has been in contact with him for a long time.

"We have created a very good friendship thanks to the fact that on the one hand we have a great mutual friend, President Erdogan," Rama said.

On the other hand, Rama also said that he has agreed to put together “Albanian, Azeri and Turkish experts to explore the possibility of building a new refinery."

"We talked about Azerbaijan investing in tourism, given the excellent example that Azerbaijan has set in Montenegro, by building an ultra-modern hospitality infrastructure. Next year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan and it will be a year of good news, both in terms of confirming what we have agreed on, and in terms of opening another chapter for next 10 years,” he added.

Rama also said that “soon in Tirana we will have a very important first step regarding this new chapter which has to do with a closer cooperation in the field of gas supply of Albania and the region, as well as then, consequently, the extension of the internal gas supply network of Albania.”

“We have very good relations and this is a moment for discussion about how we can strengthen our relations and how we can go forward with more investments, more tourism, more ties between our people. There is a room for expanding our economic relations. That’s why I came here today and we had a long conversation with President Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Ali Asadov. We agreed to take some steps forward in the field of energy and tourism,” he said.

On the other hand, President Aliyev said that “the energy sector is one of the best areas of our cooperation, which has great growth potential. Our representatives meet to have a broader portfolio of energy cooperation. This includes natural gas, transit, supplies, electricity, and it can really become an important part of our bilateral agenda. I am sure that the issues currently being discussed will lead to new development.”

The Azerbaijani leader also noted the tourism sector as another promising type of cooperation.