Belarus, Azerbaijan to maintain trade and economic co-operation
It is important for Belarus and Azerbaijan to maintain the current pace of development of their trade and economic co-operation – as noted by Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister, Igor Petrishenko, as he met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Belarus, Ulvi Bakhshaliyev
The sides discussed possible areas for increasing the dynamics of bilateral relations, and Mr. Petrishenko said, “Relations between Belarus and Azerbaijan are developing in a positive way. The visit of the President of Belarus to Azerbaijan in April 2021 gave a powerful impetus to our joint work. Despite certain restrictions related to the pandemic, our co-operation is developing along all avenues.”
Mr. Petrishenko added that, from January-November 2021, the Belarus-Azerbaijan trade turnover made around $800m. “This is a serious figure since an almost two-fold increase was registered then against the same period in 2020. We need to maintain the pace of our trade and economic co-operation. Assembly production at the Ganja Automobile Plant is actively developing; last year, about 700 tractors were produced there. This is an important direction for our industrial liaisons. Meanwhile, we also have some other projects at this enterprise,” he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that design institutions of the two countries will work thoroughly on restoration of infrastructure and development of agro-towns. Co-operation in the field of agriculture will continue, and there are already plans of interaction in animal husbandry, dairy processing, and crop production.
Mr. Petrishenko added that Belarus liaises with Azerbaijan in the spheres of culture, science, education and tourism, “We are actively preparing to implement an initiative of the President of Azerbaijan and organise a youth forum. This topic was discussed by our heads of state. The forum is scheduled for February this year, and we plan to send a delegation of more than 20 people to exchange experience and intensify our interaction. We actively co-operate in the field of culture. The Days of Culture of Belarus in Azerbaijan are planned, and then our country will host a similar event.”
Mr. Petrishenko expressed hope that the pre-pandemic level of co-operation in the field of tourism will be restored so that Azerbaijani can come to Belarus to recuperate at its sanatoriums.
As regards foreign policy, the Deputy Prime Minister believes it stands at the highest level. “Our foreign ministries interact across the entire spectrum. We express our gratitude to you for your allied position of support in case the collective West makes biased statements about our country on various international platforms. We appreciate your position at the Eastern Partnership meeting in Brussels. It is very important for us to support each other on international platforms,” Mr. Petrishenko stressed.
In turn, Mr. Bakhshaliyev highly appreciated development of bilateral relations in the social and economic spheres, while noting that the main purpose of his diplomatic presence in Belarus is to support strengthening of bilateral ties in all areas.
