In Baku, Belarus, Azerbaijani premiers ink co-op accords, call for exploring every avenue

By Azernews

Azerbaijani and Belarus Prime Ministers Ali Asadov and Roman Golovchenko respectively signed a number of bilateral documents in Baku on May 18, Azernews reports.

Speaking at the meeting, the prime ministers noted that Azerbaijan and Belarus have a high-level dialogue, and expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations in various sectors, especially in the economy, trade, industry, agriculture, transport, and others.

They emphasized the importance of personal relations between the presidents of the two nations as a pivotal factor in the development of the Azerbaijani-Belarus relations.

Stressing that despite the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the trade turnover between the two countries increased in 2021, the prime ministers said, noting the importance of successful joint industrial projects. Moreover, they noted that cooperation in the agricultural sector has good dynamics.

The parties also discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation in the economic, trade, industrial, energy, agricultural, investment, tourism, and other spheres.

Belarus Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko arrived in Azerbaijan for a two-day working visit on May 18. The two-day visit program includes meetings with the country’s leadership, a visit to the Ganja automobile plant, international exhibitions Caspian Agro and Inter Food, as well as industrial enterprise Iglim. A business meeting between the business circles of the two countries is also planned as part of the visit.

Diplomatic relations between the countries were established on June 11, 1993. The two countries are cooperating in various sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, transport, remote sensing services, etc.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Belarus amounted to $424.4 million, with the exports accounting for $295.5 million and imports for $128.9 million in 2021.

Railway passenger carriages, fiberboard of wood, butter, medicaments, furniture, wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, beef, electric transformers, and cheese are the main export goods to Azerbaijan. From Azerbaijan, Belarus imports polymers of propylene, tomatoes, fruits, nuts, fresh fruits, fruit and vegetable juices, and others.

Since 2007, a number of joint projects in the field of industrial cooperation have been launched including assembly lines of Belarus tractors and trucks. The leader of the Belarusian-Azerbaijani cooperation in the sphere of industrial cooperation is the Ganja automobile plant.

At a meeting with representatives of the public and expert community, Belarus, and foreign media in 2019, President Alexander Lukashenko stressed that relations between Belarus and Azerbaijan are an example of relations between the two Christian and Muslim states.