BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. Thanks to the efforts of both state heads, Azerbaijani-Russian ties are successfully evolving, as evidenced by President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Moscow at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, marking the beginning of a new stage in their relations.
Azerbaijani-Russian political ties
Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia were established on April 4, 1992, with the mutual opening of embassies that same year. The Consulate General of Azerbaijan in St. Petersburg was inaugurated in 2004, followed by the opening in Yekaterinburg in 2010.
In addition to direct contacts between the heads of state, political ties between Azerbaijan and Russia are also robustly conducted at the parliamentary level, as highlighted by the inter-parliamentary commission on bilateral cooperation between the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia. A total of 263 agreements have been signed, covering various spheres of cooperation.
An especially noteworthy document is the Declaration on Allied Interaction signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation in 2022.
Azerbaijani-Russian economic relations
Russia is one of the main trade partners of Azerbaijan and leads among the countries to which non-oil products from Azerbaijan are exported.
The volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia from January through August 2023 amounted to $2.78 million, including imports of $1.99 million and exports of $794.47 million.
From January through August 2023, the share of Russia in the foreign trade turnover of Azerbaijan amounted to 7.85 percent (3rd place), including 17.87 percent in imports (1st place) and 3.26 percent in exports (5th place).
Russia's investments in Azerbaijan in all spheres so far amounted to about $8.5 billion ($6.4 billion in the non-oil sector), while our country has invested about $6.4 billion ($1.1 billion in the non-oil sector) in Russia.
A total of 22 companies from Russia applied to participate in the reconstruction and construction works carried out in Karabakh.
Cultural ties
Cultural relations between the two nations continue to flourish, with notable events in 2023 highlighting this dynamic growth. On February 2, 2023, a concert featuring soloists of the Azerbaijan State Chamber Orchestra was held at the Russian House in Baku to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the esteemed Azerbaijani composer, scientist, and People's Artist of the USSR, Gara Garayev.
Last year, on April 11–12, Baku hosted the Theater Forum as part of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.
Further enhancing cultural ties, on August 7, 2023, President Ilham Aliyev bestowed the "Sharaf" order upon Yuli Gusman for his outstanding contributions to fostering cultural relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.
Certainly, the list of events and achievements can be extended.
Ties in the sphere of education
For the 2023/2024 school year, there are 324 general education institutions in Azerbaijan where education is provided in Russian, compared to 329 last year. These schools catered to 153,645 students (down from 158,754 last year). Additionally, 801,227 students learned Russian as a second foreign language. Among the 20 institutions of higher education under the Ministry of Science and Education, 14 offer courses in Russian.
Across the country, a total of 28 higher education institutions provide education in Russian, with 16,153 students enrolled in Russian-language programs during the 2022/2023 academic year. The quota for Azerbaijani citizens studying at higher education institutions in Russia was 250 for the 2022/2023 academic year and increased to 270 places for the 2023/2024 academic year.
These statistical figures, coupled with signed agreements and reciprocal visits by state leaders, provide a solid foundation to assert that Azerbaijani-Russian relations are on an upward trajectory.
Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel