Slovakia finalizing opening of its embassy in Azerbaijan: FM (Exclusive)

Slovakia is finalizing the work on opening of its embassy in Azerbaijan.

"We are working very diligently to finalize our Embassy in Baku so we can provide the best possible services to our business community and organize such business missions that would trigger our trade cooperation. We deem personal business contacts as the best means to start any kind of collaboration. This was feedback of business people, members of the delegation of Prime Minister, Mr. Peter Pellegrini, who visited Azerbaijan last year,” Slovakia’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajcak told Trend.

Lajcak pointed out that Slovakia is interested in strengthening cooperation with Azerbaijan.

"The backbone of good economic relations between any two countries are obviously good political relations, and I am glad to say that our relations are traditionally friendly without any open issues, which creates solid foundations for practical cooperation in all areas, including business. Slovakia is deeply interested in strengthening cooperation with Azerbaijan. This was confirmed during the official visit of Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini to Azerbaijan last year and with our decision to open a permanent representation of our country in Baku,” said the foreign minister.

Speaking of the economic relations, Lajcak noted that the current level does not reflect the existing potential and it is up to the two sides to change it.

"Recent trade figures show that the volume of our turnover is stable, copying tendencies from the last year, which gives us a solid base to bolster our further actions. Slovak companies have enough expertise and know-how to offer their products in manufacturing, modernizing transport infrastructure, automotive, energy efficiency projects or medical equipment. However, necessary precondition for mutual trade development is to strengthen our treaty base in the investment and economic areas, where our good political dialogue should be also aiming at,” said the foreign minister.