Source: Trend International Information Agency
In mid-November, negotiations between the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov and the head of the government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin took place in Baku. A delegation from Russia arrived in the republic to take part in the COP29 climate summit.
During the meeting, key aspects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia were discussed, including trade and economic ties, transport infrastructure and strategic partnership.
The negotiations took place against the backdrop of an active dialogue between state leaders, in particular, after the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Baku, which, according to Asadov, “gave good dynamics to the development of bilateral relations.”
“Russia is one of Azerbaijan’s important trading partners. Trade and economic relations between our countries are developing progressively. Judging by the dynamics of the growth of mutual trade, this year, it can be assumed that a new record will be recorded. Based on the results of nine months, the trade turnover, according to our figures, amounted to 3.5 billion dollars,” said the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan.
In bilateral trade, settlements in national currencies are becoming increasingly important, which are actively replacing the previously traditional US dollars and euros. Mikhail Mishutin noted that the Russian side calculates trade turnover in rubles and manats.
“This is about 290 billion rubles, or more than 5 billion Azerbaijani manats. Let’s see what this year will give us at the end. Indeed, we already have a lot of trade in national currencies,” the head of the Russian government emphasized.
The transport and transit sector remains one of the key areas of interstate cooperation. Ali Asadov said that the total volume of bilateral cargo transportation is growing steadily. This is confirmed by the figures: over the ten months of this year, the increase was more than 5%, and the volume of cargo transportation exceeded 11 million tons. This indicator is important not only for the economies of the two countries, but also for the entire region, since stable cargo transportation contributes to the development of trade and economic integration.
Another important topic of the negotiations was the North-South international transport corridor, the western route of which passes through the territory of Azerbaijan. It will increase the volume of cargo transportation and expand the geography of commodity flows, entering the markets of the Middle East, Africa, as well as South and Southeast Asia through the ports of the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.
“The volume of traffic along the corridor is steadily increasing. Over the 10 months of this year, the growth was more than 10%,” said Ali Asadov.
The Prime Minister of Azerbaijan said that Russian companies are actively involved in updating the rolling stock of the Azerbaijani railways and the Baku Metro. Thus, metro trains produced at Transmashholding enterprises are successfully operated in the capital’s subway. Since 2007, over 200 metro cars have been delivered to the capital of Azerbaijan.
Russian-made rolling stock successfully competes with global analogues. New modern cars delivered in recent years have used advanced engineering and design solutions: a single through passage, enlarged doorways for faster and more convenient boarding and disembarking of passengers, a modern light system for warning about opening and closing doors, adaptive interior lighting depending on the time of day, as well as USB sockets for charging gadgets.
“It was done very timely, these cars were put on the line on time [климатического саммита] COP29. We will continue our cooperation along the metro line in this direction,” Ali Asadov promised.
The heads of government highly appreciated the level of industrial cooperation, which covers a wide range of bilateral projects. A number of new mutually beneficial initiatives are under consideration by the parties.
Discussion of energy, agriculture and pharmaceuticals also became an important part of the negotiations. Mikhail Mishustin emphasized that cooperation in these areas will contribute to deeper interaction between countries and the creation of new opportunities for Russian and Azerbaijani business.
During the meeting, the expansion of bilateral cooperation between states in the field of education was announced. Ali Asadov also noted that over ten months, 630 thousand tourists from Russia visited Azerbaijan. This is 20% more than in the same period last year.
It is worth noting that the meeting of the prime ministers of Azerbaijan and Russia not only strengthened existing ties, but also opened new horizons for cooperation. Both prime ministers expressed confidence that joint efforts will lead to strengthening the positions of both states in the international arena.