Trade turnover between Ukraine and Azerbaijan has reached an all-time high of almost $1 billion, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed during the visit of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev to Kyiv on January 14.
“The turnover of goods not only did not decrease – despite what is happening around the globe and our states are not exempt – despite the COVID-19 pandemic…the trade turnover has…reached an all-time high of almost $1 billion,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Lofty projects aim to double trade, boost investment
Ukraine and Azerbaijan have set a goal to double trade volumes by 2024, increase the level of joint investments and projects, particularly the participation of Azerbaijani companies in the huge Great Construction program, as well as joint participation in the construction of new infrastructure in both states. Also, according to Zelensky, Ukraine is counting on the active participation of Azerbaijani business in privatization in Ukraine.
The talks resulted in the deepening of the strategic partnership and the signing of bilateral documents. yielding agreements, including in security cooperation
The signing of the Joint Declaration by the Presidents of Ukraine and Azerbaijan enshrined the readiness of the two states to provide mutual support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, joint countering of hybrid threats and the desire to ensure peace and stability in the Black Sea-Caspian region and beyond.
The Joint Declaration also enshrined the desire to intensify substantive bilateral cooperation in political and security, trade and economic, fuel and energy, military and technical, infrastructure, transport, aircraft, agro-industrial, cultural, humanitarian and other fields.
The readiness to intensify cooperation in combating hybrid threats was also set out.
It envisages the further intensification of cooperation in the defense industry by completing current joint projects and developing new ones. The intention is to deepen cooperation within international and regional organizations and fora, including the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, GUAM and Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
Cooperation in international road and rail transport, as well as in aviation should be stepped up. Joint work will continue on a number of prospects, including the transport corridor within GUAM, which unites Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova.
Food security, emergency aid expanded
Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk and Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov, signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in food safety. It concerns cooperation in simplifying procedures for the import, export, transit and re-export of food items. The possibility of inspecting market operators who produce and trade in food is envisaged.
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Roman Leshchenko and Mikayil Jabbarov signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on cooperation in agriculture. It will mean closer cooperation in crop production and food security, mutual legal assistance in land relations, efficient use of agricultural land, investment in projects for processing agricultural raw materials and trade in fertilizers.
A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Economy of Ukraine and Azerbaijan on emergency cooperation in bilateral trade, which defines the mechanism of such cooperation in bilateral trade in the event of threats related to epidemics, natural disasters and man-made catastrophes, was also signed.
Oil, gas projects envisage renewing infrastructure
The Chairman of oil and gas operator Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko and Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov, who is also Chairman of the SOCAR Supervisory Board, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, Naftogaz and the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan.
The document creates the conditions for broadening cooperation in the energy sector and joint implementation of projects in the oil and gas market of Ukraine, including providing oil supply and transportation to our country, transportation of oil products, joint use of oil pipelines, exploration and production of hydrocarbons, construction of new oil refineries in Ukraine and the rebuilding of existing ones, and delivering natural gas to Ukraine and storing it underground stores in Ukraine, etc.
A Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre and the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan on cooperation in land relations, management of state property land and state land cadastre was also signed with the aim of ensuring closer cooperation in land ties and land management.
President Zelensky thanked his counterpart and the visiting delegation for the constructive talks, which were significantly ahead of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. Ilham Aliyev noted that relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan have created many opportunities.
Published in cooperation with our partner publication The Odessa Journal
