BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 28. China is one of the main economic and trade partners of Azerbaijan, Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev said at an event in Baku dedicated to the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Trend reports.
“We thank the friendly People’s Republic of China for its continued support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of our country. Azerbaijan, in turn, constantly supports the One China policy,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister noted that in 2022, trade between the two countries increased by more than 21 percent, to $2.2 billion, and this positive trend continues this year.
From January to July, mutual trade grew by more than 41 percent to $1.6 billion. Azerbaijan is China's largest trading partner in the South Caucasus. The country's trade mission operates in China. At the beginning of this year, the opening ceremony of the 4th Trade House of Azerbaijan took place in China, he said.
According to Shahin Mustafayev, cooperation in the transport and transit sector continues successfully.
“The creation of a modern transport infrastructure is one of Azerbaijan’s priorities. A number of large-scale projects to develop transport infrastructure and increase transit potential have been implemented in Azerbaijan. As a result of this, Azerbaijan has become the main transport hub of the region.
Transport corridors connecting Europe with Asia and passing through the territory of Azerbaijan, the created infrastructure, the Baku seaport, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and other projects provide the shortest transport routes for cargo transportation from China to Europe and back.
In turn, the Alyat free economic zone is very favorable from the point of view of logistics and transport. All these projects are important elements of the One Belt and One Road project initiated by the head of China. Azerbaijan that is located on the Great Silk Road was one of the first countries to officially support this initiative.
Of course, with the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation, great prospects have opened up in the region for restoring transport and communication ties,” Shahin Mustafayev said.