Belarus, Azerbaijan plan to expand regional cooperation

"We had talks with the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation and held a meeting with the Minister of Economy and Industry of Azerbaijan, which was focused first of all on the development of regional cooperation. We have agreed that our oblast chambers of commerce and industry will establish direct contacts with the Azerbaijani business. We have decided on a number of visits to promote regional cooperation starting next year,” said Mikhail Myatlikov. 

In his words, tourism represents big prospects for Belarus-Azerbaijan cooperation. The Belarusian Tsentrkurort is signing a memorandum of cooperation in the tourism industry with the Azerbaijan Wellness and Thermal Tourism Association today. 

"Besides, we also keep an eye on infrastructure facilities. Today Azerbaijan is implementing a lot of construction projects, and we have discussed possible supplies of our utilities machinery to this country. This cooperation may include the assembling of such machinery as well as MAZ gas-engine buses in the city of Ganja,” he explained.

There are three companies with the Belarusian participation in Azerbaijan. Thirty Azerbaijani dealers represent 40 enterprises of Belarus at this market. There are 18 companies with the Azerbaijan capital and about 30 joint ventures in Belarus. The trade between the two countries in January-September 2015 amounted to $251 million, or 94% of the trade in the same period last year. 

However, the trade has not decreased in terms of physical volumes. "Such trade numbers are not the limit. We will be exploring the possibility to implement joint production projects,” stated Mikhail Myatlikov. In 2014 the trade between the countries amounted to about $330 million. The Belarus-Azerbaijan business forum in Minsk is held within the framework of the official visit of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev to Belarus. 

The business forum considers the promising avenues of the trade, economic and investment cooperation. Talks have already been held to discuss the opportunities for cooperation and joint projects in engineering, petrochemistry, metallurgy, construction and architecture, agriculture, software development, transport, and tourism. The event is attended by more than 40 companies of Azerbaijan.

 

(Belta.com)