BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 29. Thanks to the initiatives of the presidents of both countries, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have been rapidly developing cooperation in the field of agriculture and related industries in recent years, Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan Aziz Voitov told Trend in an exclusive interview.
"Last month, a visit by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan took place, during which the Roadmap for deepening comprehensive strategic partnership was signed, marking the beginning of a new phase in the development of relations between the two countries. Additionally, a protocol exists between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, envisioning the expansion of cooperation in various sectors, including agriculture," the minister said.
He stressed that several key areas have been identified within the framework of this cooperation, including agricultural insurance, food security, the implementation of new investment projects, and the conclusion of important trade agreements, emphasizing that both sides already have experience and developments in these areas and are currently actively working on the implementation of various projects.
"We are actively developing a project for growing hazelnuts and plan to implement the experience gained from Azerbaijan in our country. Recently, our working group visited Azerbaijan, where we selected several varieties of hazelnuts. Currently, we are actively engaged in the selection of seedlings in order to start growing Azerbaijani hazelnut varieties on our lands for the first time and create intensive hazelnut gardens," Voitov said.
Voitov added that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also cooperate in other areas, such as sericulture and cotton growing, stressing that in general, the work is progressing very successfully and is in active development, which confirms the high pace of cooperation.
Meanwhile, at the end of August this year, the Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, Aziz Voitov, and the Director of Azerbaijan's Agrarco company, Javid Kazimov, signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of hazelnut cultivation.