Azernews.Az

By Rasana Gasimova

Azerbaijan and Russia have signed roadmaps for agricultural and tourism cooperation for 2020-2022.

The documents were signed by Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and the visiting Russian Minister of Economic Development Maksim Oreshkin as part of the 18th meeting of the Azerbaijani-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation held in Baku on December 9, local media reported.

Mustafayev noted the positive dynamics in the development of relations with Russia.

“Azerbaijani-Russian relations are developing positively in all directions. According to the results of 2108, the trade turnover between the countries increased by 19 percent, and by the end of 10 months of 2019, the growth amounted to 23 percent," Mustafayev said.

He noted that 950 companies with Russian capital operate in Azerbaijan. "Russian investments in the Azerbaijani economy reached $4.9 billion, whereas Azerbaijan invested $ 1.2 billion in the Russian economy," he said.

For his part, Maksim Oreshkin also expressed satisfaction with the economic cooperation development between the two countries. He emphasized that the agricultural products exported from Azerbaijan to Russia are of high quality.

Oreshkin also noted that it is important to develop cooperation in the transport and logistics sphere.

There are also plans to open HayatFarm pharmaceutical plant, helicopter maintenance and repair plant in Pirallahi town and the Penopleks building materials plant.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries and Russia remains one of Azerbaijan’s main foreign trade partners. Interregional cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations and the increase in trade turnover. Russia ranks first in terms of export of non-oil products from Azerbaijan.

Russia is the main buyer of agricultural products in Azerbaijan. In 2018, Azerbaijan exported more than 560,000 tons of agricultural products to Russia. Russian companies export agricultural machinery to Azerbaijan. In recent years, Russia exported about 900 units of agricultural machinery for various purposes and more than 650,000 tons of mineral fertilizers to Azerbaijan.

As to tourism cooperation, Russia was the leader in the tourism market of Azerbaijan in 2018. Thus, as many as 2,849,600 tourists from 196 countries visited Azerbaijan during the year and Russians make up the largest part of the tourists having a share of 30.9 percent (about 900,000).

In January-November 2019, 798,000 Russian travelers visited Azerbaijan. The official representation of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board has been operating in Moscow since December 2018.

The two countries also cooperate in energy, transport, humanitarian sphere, military-technical cooperation and other spheres.

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