Baku, Minsk eye boosting mutual trade

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Belarusian Economy Minister Alexandr Chervyakov and  Azerbaijani ambassador Ulvi Bakhshaliyev have considered the possibilities for the mutual trade turnover increase, the Belarus Economy Ministry has reported.

"The hour-long conversation covered a wide range of issues. The parties discussed in detail the unfolding dynamics of the mutual trade turnover with the emphasis on the possibilities of its further growth," the ministry reported.

During the meeting, the economy minister proposed to increase the supply of Belarusian food, engineering products, construction materials and other goods.

He also noted the potential for cooperation in such services fields as tourism, logistics, trade, construction, in particular, participation in the construction of social facilities in Azerbaijan, etc.

Azerbaijan and Belarus are cooperating in various fields of economy, such as agriculture, transport, remote sensing services, etc. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Belarus amounted to $320.3 million, with the export accounting for $229.8 million and import for $90.4 million in the first nine months of 2021.

It should be noted that the volume of the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Belarus in the sphere of agricultural and food products increased by 5.3 percent, reaching $35 million in 2020.

Since 2015 Azerbaijan Railways has been cooperating with the leading industrial enterprise of Belarus, a member of the international concern Stadler Minsk CJSC. Under the contract signed in 2019, it is planned to purchase 10 passenger trains FLIRT, of which four are diesel and six are electric trains.

Earlier this month, the Azerbaijani Azercosmos OJSC and the Belarus National Academy of Sciences have signed a cooperation agreement in the field of remote sensing services. The agreement envisages using images of the Azersky satellite by the academy in projects on agriculture, ecology, cartography, infrastructure planning and monitoring, updating cadastral data, and determining tourist routes.