Azerbaijan, Baku, 17 April /corr. Trend I.Khalilova / The Governmental delegation of Azerbaijan, headed by the Minister of Economic Development, Heydar Babayev, will leave for Astana on 22 April to attend the IV meeting of Azerbaijani-Kazakh Inter-Governmental Commission for Economic Co-operation, a source at Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers said on 17 April. The meeting is due on 23 April.
The co-chairmen of the Commission- from the Azerbaijani side is Heydar Babayev and from Kazakh side- Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Baktikoja Izmhammetov.
The previous meeting of the Commission took place in Baku at the end of April 2007. In addition, last year, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, made a visit to Kazakhstan in August, Azerbaijani delegation headed by Heydar Babayev went to Astana and Aktau, Kazakh delegation headed by Governor of Mangistauski region, Krimbey Kusherbayev, came to Baku. The Finance Minister of Azerbaijan, Samir Sharifov, also visited Astana in July 2007 to regulate Azerbaijan's debts to Kazakhstan.
The agenda of the meeting included the issues of trade and commercial development, energy co-operation, transport and communications, humanitarian co-operation, regulation of debts obligations and situation of agreement-legal base.
Due to debt obligations, the Azerbaijani side insists on re-paying only $8.5mln through budget. In addition, the Kazakh side asks returning 50% of the carriages which have been located in Nakchivan Autonomous Republic since 1991. The Government of Azerbaijan is going to do it at the expense of carriage part of the Republic. In addition, Azerbaijani and Kazakh transport departments consider it necessary to consider the issue of ensuring bilateral loading railway-ferry division of Aktau-Baku section.
The meeting may also discuss transportation of energy resources of Kazakhstan and Country's participation in transportation via Caspian basin, onward the Ports of Batumi or Poti. In addition, the tariffs may also be considered. At present, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan are discussing the issue of synchronization of tariffs.
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan totaled $68243,8 thous, out of which $56908,9 thous is from imported Kazakh commodities. The export-import operations between the two countries make up 12.7% of Azerbaijan's trade turnover within the CIS countries.
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