Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15
By Sara Israfilbayova – Trend:
Azerbaijan and Russia have determined key areas of cooperation till 2024, Russian Trade Representative to Azerbaijan Eldar Tlyabichev told Trend.
“This plan includes roadmaps on five key areas of cooperation, including the removal of barriers to trade, the development of transport potential, the creation of joint ventures, cooperation in the field of digitalization of the tax sphere and humanitarian contacts,” he said.
The trade representative stressed that the plan includes the issues of reducing administrative and regulatory barriers in mutual trade, expanding mutual supplies of agricultural products, opening Azerbaijan’s trading houses in Russia, developing the international North-South transport corridor, reconstructing an automobile bridge across the Samur river, expanding humanitarian cooperation, including the tourism sector and so on.
"The implementation of the agreements will allow our strategic partnership with Azerbaijan to reach a qualitatively new level and realize the full potential of our cooperation," Tlyabichev said.
“The sides applied a qualitatively new approach to the expansion of the areas of cooperation in 2018,” he added.
"Our countries have historically closely cooperated in many areas, which is stipulated by the prevailing political and cultural ties, as well as joint economic interests," Tlyabichev said.
“The main part of import of Azerbaijan’s non-commodity goods accounts for Russia,” he said. "We are interested in maintaining and expanding trade and economic relations and contacts. Our Azerbaijani partners are interested in developing non-commodity sectors of the economy."
According to the Azerbaijani statistics, trade and economic ties between Russia and Azerbaijan expanded and intensified in 2018.
"In 2018, the total turnover increased by 19.1 percent and amounted to more than $2.5 billion,” he said. “The export of Russian products increased by 21.3 percent and amounted to $1.9 billion, while import of Azerbaijani products increased by 13.4 percent and amounted to $665.7 million."
“Trade in services also greatly increases,” Tlyabichev said. “Thus, the total volume increased by 36.2 percent, reaching $533 million in the first nine months of 2018.”
"An increase in mutual trade is a natural consequence of our intensive collaboration," he said.
“The initiatives on the modernization of the existing infrastructure and construction of new border infrastructure are being implemented, which not only will increase capacity, but also redistribute cargo flows on the Russian-Azerbaijani border,” Tlyabichev said.
“The construction of a new border bridge across the Samur river is of particular importance,” he said. “The commissioning of the bridge will facilitate the transit of goods and make a significant contribution to the development of the North-South corridor and increase the traffic flow between Russia and Azerbaijan.”
“Another important sphere of cooperation is an increase in the volume of transactions in national currencies between Russia and Azerbaijan,” Tlyabichev said.
“We have the developed infrastructure, but by joint efforts we are ready to work out the corresponding action plan, which will contribute to the expansion of our cooperation and an increase in trade turnover,” he said.
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